


The Retraining of Dean Winchester

by deanwithwings



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alpha Castiel, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, John Winchester's Bad Parenting, M/M, Masturbation, Omega Dean, Subjugation, Suicidal Thoughts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-29
Updated: 2014-12-22
Packaged: 2018-01-06 15:39:35
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 33
Words: 119,348
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1108581
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/deanwithwings/pseuds/deanwithwings
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dean's been passing as a alpha for years, until a bar fight and his own father leaves him high and dry without his pills in jail. Since omegas have no autonomy he has to be placed in a home and trained up in the proper behavior of a polite omega. Thankfully he lands a great case worker that manages to get him into a traditional Japanese style school. Dean isn't pleased with this but since the only other option is a state run mental hospital he decides to go along with it until his father breaks him out.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This has been sitting in a word document for a year. I was hesitant to publish but since the omega verse seems to be getting more popular I guess it's time to come out of hiding with it.

“Hey, get up.”

Dean is groggy, a little hung over, and probably a lot punch drunk. The last thing he remembers is the bar. They were hustling pool, maybe cheating at cards before that. 

“You hear me? Get up!”

His response is to lift a middle finger towards the sound of the voice and run a hand over his eyes. When he takes it away he realizes he is in a cinderblock room. Dean pats over his pockets and finds that his gun, lockpick set, and everything else he carries on him is gone. “Fuck,” he grumbles as he pushes up to seated, the unmistakable surroundings of a jail cell coming into view.

“Yeah you’re fucked alright.” Dean squints and a cop with a smug face is standing past the bars. “Got you on illegal gambling, fake IDs and credit cards, weapons possession, assault. No bail, no nothing. Now get up, I’m transferring you to gen-pop.”

“Did you find a bottle of pills on me?” He asks as he gets up and moves to the cell door, turning without being told so his hands are behind his back where the cop can cuff him. This isn’t his first arrest, dad will get him out soon enough. It can’t hurt to be polite though, because there is no way he’s going to survive this without those pills. “They’re important, for my heart.”

“Doc is examining them right now,” the cop grunts as he snaps cuffs onto Dean’s wrists. “We’ll give them to you if they’re legit.”

Shit, fuck, goddamnit. Dean hangs his head as he’s brought to general population. He probably has an hour or so before the doctor figures out what his pills are, which he supposes is better than the prisoners figuring it out. With a huff he takes the first seat he finds from the door, knowing it’s only a matter of time before they come for him.

Neither the guards nor the doctor ever come. Dean is starting to get worried. The last time he was without suppressants he had gone into heat just under a week later. So he had what a couple of days? How long had he been out? He keeps away from the other prisoners, ignoring their cat calls and insistence that he’s pretty, staying on his guard at all times. 

Dean is struggling to keep his eyes open when a burly inmate with a scarred face approaches him. “You smell funny.”

“No real chance to take a shower,” he tries to play it off with a laugh though he’s never been more scared. It takes the other prisoner a minute to figure out where he’s smelled the odor before, allowing Dean to start sneaking off. He backs up into the body of another inmate and his arm is captured, twisting him around.  
“It’s an omega,” the new attacker says joyfully. “Look at you, you precious thing.”

“I knew he was too pretty to be anything else,” the scarred inmate agrees and licks his lips. 

Dean swings, his fist making contact with his captor’s face and tries to wrest out of his grip. A fist then hits his temple, causing him to stumble, and he’s being frog walked into a cell, the attackers yelling to the occupant that they’ve got a present for him. He is pushed down onto a bed and two men hold his arms down as someone else starts working at his removing the prison issued jumpsuit. The omega screams and kicks until someone shoves something in his mouth and his legs are held out and up.

He can feel someone settling on the bed between his legs and Dean closes his eyes, resigning himself to the fact that this is happening to him. Nothing he can do with this many people against one. He doesn’t fight it, because usually they like it when the victim does and inhales as he feels tears leak out of his eyes.

Suddenly there are no hands on him and the weight of the person in the bed with him is missing. He opens his eyes and sees several guards with pepper spray canisters and batons, crowding the entrance to the cell. Gentle but firm hands help him up and get his boxers and pants back up around his waist. In a daze, Dean is guided out of gen-pop to a cell somewhere else in the prison. He succumbs to sleep as soon as he’s laid on the bed, knowing inherently that this is safe.

“Wake up sweetie,” a syrupy voice coos to him.

He shoots up, nearly knocking the tray out of the woman’s hands. Dean looks at her with wide eyes, taking in a petite nurse with brown hair and a fake smile.

“We got to you just in time,” she says as she steadies the tray and sets it on the bedside table. “It’s prison food but we felt so bad for you, we dug into our own lunches to get you some cookies.”

Dean grumbles, already hating how differently he is being treated. “What are you going to do with me?”

“Don’t worry, sweetie, they’re dropping the charges and whoever did this to you is going to go away for a long time,” she says as she retreats and leans against the wall by the door. “Now in order for us to help you, we need your name. Your real one.”

Dean swallows, other than his father all of his relatives were dead. “John Bonham,” he states, “and no one did this to me, I was out on my own.” No sense in getting his dad arrested too.

“Now, we both know that’s not true, but you’ve had a rough day and you need to eat and get some more rest.” Her nametag says Masters. “Do you have a relative we can contact? Someone that can come get you?”

“They’re all dead,” he states and looks at the wall.

“I’m sorry to hear that, baby,” she says sweetly. “Enjoy your cookies.”

Dean sighs and settles back into the bed. God he hoped his dad had a plan for getting his ass out of here.

He ends up eating the cookies after all. Dean’s stomach is growling the next time he wakes up and the rest of the food looks too damn unappetizing to even attempt. He knows this does nothing to disprove the fact that he’s a childlike creature that needs care but he’s hungry damnit and that will have to do.

Nurse Masters comes back in after what feels like hours alone. She smiles sweetly at him and holds up a stack of clothing. “John Bonham is the drummer from Led Zeppelin,” she says with disappointment. “If you keep lying to us there is no way we can help you. Now, come on sweetie, what’s your real name? 

“Those are not my clothes.”

“They now are, hon,” she chirps with enthusiasm and sets the stack at the foot of the bed. “Those other clothes were not very omega-like, this is better. Now come on and stand up, I can help you get changed.”

Dean snorts at the idea that someone he has nearly a foot and a hundred pounds on is going to help, or force him do anything. “You mean those robes they make the omegas wear,” he says with derision. 

“Your case worker is coming to talk to you,” Nurse Masters informs him as she backs off to the door, leaning against it. “If you don’t tell us who you are or where your family is we have no choice but to hand you over to the state.”

“Case worker? The state?” Dean inhales and tries to keep his voice steady as the gravity of the situation hits him. He has no rights now. The very thought of losing his freedom is making his stomach feel hollow and his chest ache.

“Yes, dear, if you have no family, we have to let the state handle your case,” the nurse explains, looking at her fingernails before looking back over at the omega.

“I honestly don’t though,” he responds because it’s true if he didn’t count his father who probably had too long of a rap sheet to be considered fit to care for an omega. Besides if his father really wanted him back wouldn’t he have come for him by now?

“I can see you’re going to be difficult which is unfortunate,” Masters shakes her head with false disappointment. “Maybe you’ll be more interested in talking to your case worker. He will explain how things will go for you if you don’t start cooperating.”

Dean shrugs and lays back on the bed, facing the wall. The nurse thankfully has no more ingratiating comments to make and leaves. He wants to cry, to mourn the loss of his freedom and free will. Omegas were treated as children, coddled and kept like playthings. Sometimes they were even sold outright, Alphas buying them because a child birthed from an omega was guaranteed to be another alpha. Not even female alphas could promise that.

He stairs at the painted cinderblock for hours, nearly drowning in the uncertainty of his future. There had to be a way to escape. Find some pills, maybe get a job in a garage or tending bar, something where the boss wouldn’t ask too many questions. 

There is a knock on his cell’s door, which sort of startles him since the nurse never gave him that much courtesy before. Dean pushes up to sit on the edge of the bed and hollers to come in since he doesn’t think refusing would do much good. A surly, bearded man in a suit and tie comes through the door, a frown set in the whiskers. 

“You need to change,” bearded guy states and shakes his head. “I don’t know who kept you out there but certain things are done for decency and wearing the proper clothes is one of them.”

“Funny that when everyone thought I was a alpha,” Dean looks up at the bearded guy with a noxious smile, “people looked at me in the face, they didn’t die, ice caps stayed frozen, the gods stayed in their heavens. What’s different now?”

“Etiquette and respect,” he barks back, to which Dean snorts and rolls his eyes. “Nurse Masters says you told her all your relatives are dead.”

“Because it’s true,” the omega states flatly.

“Have you ever seen a state run mental institution, boy?”

Dean shakes his head and snorts indignantly. “I saw One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.”

“Then you know that what’s waiting for you after this place is going to be no picnic,” he says as he shifts his position. “You see you’re too old to go to an omega’s school and you’re going to need mental health care after what happened to you. So the loony bin is the only place that will take you.”

He rolls his eyes at that. “You know for someone that apparently had a traumatic ordeal, I feel fine, great even.”

“If you give me your real name I can research and see if there anyone that is related to you, even remotely that can come and take custody of you.”

Dean sighs and looks at his lap. Did he have distant relatives that were alive? Would they even give a shit? Maybe he would luck out and they would be part of the small group that thought omegas shouldn’t be marginalized. Not that it was likely. Though escape would be more likely from a house than a prison cell.

“Dean Winchester.” He closes his eyes and sets his jaw, hoping he wouldn’t regret this.

“I’m Bobby Singer,” the bearded man states. “I will do my best to make sure you stay out of the system.”

“Yeah, thanks for that,” Dean huffs. Singer starts to say something but changes his mind. “I’m starving,” Dean states. “Please get them to bring me something.”

“I will.” With that Singer is gone. Dean flops on the bed and stares up at the ceiling, hoping that he has an extremely liberal relative somewhere.

He wakes when the knocking sounds again, unaware he had drifted off. Singer doesn’t wait for him to answer though, instead throwing open the door and tossing a brown paper bag at Dean.

“Don’t know why I got you that after you lied to me,” he growls, face puce with anger.

“Lied?” Dean’s confused and sleepy, the accusation carries no bite. “I didn’t lie.”

“There is a missing persons report filed on you, from fifteen years ago. Your brother’s been keeping it up.”

“My brother," Dean shakes his head and gives Mr. Singer and honestly confused look. "My brother is dead. He and my mom died in a house fire.”

Bobby pinches the bridge of his nose, his anger subsiding when he sees Dean's expression. Kid wasn't lying. “That what your dad told you?”

“Well yeah.”

“You know he’s wanted for kidnapping you and arson charges, that he’s wanted in the very house fire you just mentioned?”

“No,” he shakes his head. “Sammy is alive? Is my mom?”

“I’m sorry kid but no, though it was last year, not fifteen years ago.”

Dean nods and looks in the bag. The burger and fries would have his mouth watering any other time but now it’s going to be a chore to choke it down. "I need time to process this."

"I understand, kid. I'll be back when I have more information."

Bobby closes the door behind him, the sound seems more final this time. Unless his brother lets him stay, Dean is going to end up in one of those touchy feely omega schools and there's nothing he can do about it The food sits in his lap untouched as he stares at the steel door in front of him.


	2. Chapter 2

“Your brother is coming.” Meg Master’s voice cuts through the cell, waking Dean up. She’s let herself into the room without knocking and caught Dean sleeping, trail of drool on the side of his mouth and cuddling his bag of uneaten food. “His disbelief sounded sincere, it’s a shame what your father did to you.”

“Way to throw dad under the bus, Sammy,” he grumbles and looks over at the nurse who’s holding up the robes again. Dean shakes his head. No, no robes, no being hid under a hood because he’s someone’s property and shouldn’t be looked at by anyone but his owner. 

“It will be easier on you and you don’t want your brother to see you in a prison jump suit do you?” She cocks her head and makes a motion with her fingers to indicate Dean should stand.

He doesn’t want Sam to see him in this, not at all, but he also doesn’t want to wear robes either. Dean makes a dismissive gesture. “I’ll change, just let me do it myself.”

“If you have any trouble just press this button,” Masters says with that fake smile and points to the intercom box near the door. “You’re in the hospital wing until your brother decides what is best for you.”

Dean shakes his head but doesn’t say anything else, closing his eyes as he hears the nurse leave. He gets up and chucks the bag of ruined food into the trashcan then looks at the pile of pale yellow robes. They're a flimsy material, obviously donated. He's seen omegas wearing these before. It's so rare that they look happy. He closes his eyes and just stands there for several minutes before peeling off the offensive orange jumpsuit. The white under garments are in two pieces like long johns. They're tight and the shirt has a turtleneck collar. The robes are looser, the top flap buttons and ties down along his side all the way to his knee.

He bites his lips together as he looks at himself in the polished steel mirror, hating how sad he looks. With the hood pulled on he’s barely a face in a sea of yellow and white. Dean shakes his head and pushes the hood back off then sits on the bed, waiting and studying his feet in the cheap, prison issue slip-ons.

The knock to the door is almost welcome. Being alone like that was nerve wracking and he was still starving. When Dean calls out to come in the person that enters is a male nurse with a very angular face. Dean has to laugh because it’s so hard to envision this guy handling prisoner patients. His nametag says Fitzgerald and he’s got a nice disposition so Dean decides not to be a dick. “Your brother is here, bro,” he says with more sincere enthusiasm than anything Masters has said. 

“Fantastic,” Dean mutters and gets up from his seated position on the bed.

“Lets get your hood on,” Fitzgerald says, like it’s something to look forward to and reaches out to pull the hood of the robe up over Dean’s head. Like when he had looked at himself in the mirror it hides most of his features, blinds his peripheral vision, and makes him feel ridiculous.

He’s guided by nurse Fitzgerald down a series of halls to a room with Singer on one side of the table and his brother on the other. The nurse tells him his name is Garth and seems sincere when he ways he hopes everything works out for him. Dean inhales as they both look up at him, halting their conversation.

“Dean,” Sam says sadly, taking in what features he can see through the robes. He looks shocked, probably because he was expecting a petite, narrow shouldered omega, not a guy that could pass as an alpha on looks alone. “I’m so sorry. We’re going to get you the care that you need.”

“I don’t…” Dean is cut off by Mr. Singer talking. He stares at his brother. Of course he’s a kid, he was born what, four years after Dean, that makes him, shit, fifteen. How the hell was his kid brother supposed to help him?

“I’ll call the place in California near where you are,” he says, tapping a pen against a pad of paper in front of him. “It’s private, going to be expensive, but it is your best bet since you want to keep him out of state run facilities.”

“I’m fine!” Dean exclaims. 

“Dean, stop,” Sam waves him off, somehow managing to look sympathetic and irritated at the same time. “Mr. Singer, I’m technically a ward of the state, I’m only fifteen. I’ve been living with my friend's parents since my mom died. I work at the Steak and Shake on weekends, but he cannot go to essentially another prison for this. Is there some other way?”

Singer sighs. “Unless you’re interested in selling him, no not really.”

“I’m right here, guys, right here,” Dean says as he shakes his head. A fifteen year old kid was responsible for his future. If Dean had been anything but an omega it would be preposterous. 

“I should have guessed that when I saw your age. There is a guy that has a very small school,” Singer steals a look at Dean, still standing helplessly to the back of the room, “usually it’s where well to do families put their omega children but he’s been known to take in a charity case every now and then. Schools them up in the classical Japanese way. He’ll expect to collect on the mizuage though.”

Dean watches his brother consider it with an incredulous face. “Seriously? Sam? We’re selling my virginity now?”

“Call him,” Sam states with finality, looking at his brother apologetically instead of the case worker.

“Sam!” Dean yells, feeling betrayed, as Singer excuses himself, intent on making the phone call immediately.

“Mom always said she had a feeling that you were alive.” Sam says with sadness as soon as they’re alone. He looks like he’s going to cry and Dean thinks he might just join him. Dean takes the chair Mr. Singer had been in.

“Dad told me you two were both dead,” he bleats defensively, looking down at his lap. “He didn’t want me to end up some alpha’s play thing, said that’s why we were on the move all the time. I believed him, respected him for it even.”

“He could have killed you with those black market pills and whatever else he had you doing!”

“Sammy, I’m fine,” he states, giving his brother a pleading look. “Don’t do this to me, Sammy. I know those Japanese gigs are supposed to be swanky and good schools but I’m too old. No one’s going to want me and then what? The owner is going to want to recoup the costs. I’ll end up in a whore house anyway. Can I stay with your friends?”

His brother presses his palms to his eyes and sucks in a breath. “I asked Dean, I told them I was afraid for you but they said that they’re already stretched thin and they already took me in. They were looking for a good public school that will take an older omega but couldn't find anything. Wherever you go I will visit as much as I can. Call, email, write, whatever.”

Dean nods his head and looks away as the door opens. Singer enters, shoving a phone in his pocket. “Sensei Matsushita wants to see him, give him an interview.”

“Sensei,” Dean repeats darkly. It wasn't a whore house but sex would eventually be sold. “Wow, we are really doing this to me.”

“Dean, I’m so sorry but like you said it will be swanky.” Sam sounds devastated as he turns to the caseworker. Dean can’t find it in himself be mad at him, Sam is fifteen and handling this like an adult. “He knows I have no money right?”

“If Dean behaves and cooperates he’s willing to take any mizuage and matchmaking fees as payment,” Singer states with a shrug. “Honestly, I think he just wants the challenge.”

“How far away is his facility?” Sam asks earnestly. Dean sucks in a breath to force himself not to cry.

“Couple of hours,” the caseworker states and looks at Dean. “I know you don’t think so but you lucked out tremendously in this.” Singer turns back to Sam. “He said he’d wait up, I can drive him after we complete the paperwork placing him in your custody.”

***

Dean spends the entire car ride looking out the window, ignoring his brother’s attempts at justifying his decision. He doesn’t blame Sam, who spends the entire two hours turned in his seat, trying to share the happy memories he has of growing up with their mother, but it doesn't mean he wants to hear it either. 

“Great, my new prison is a hibachi restaurant,” he grumbles as Mr. Singer pulls into one of the few spots in front of the school. Sam sighs exasperatedly but Mr. Singer has the decency to laugh.

Though expansive, it looks like a traditional Japanese home with peaked roofs, wrap around porches and sliding doors. Dean takes it in as he gets out of the car, thinking he would probably like it if it was a hibachi restaurant and not his prison. Mr. Singer guides him up to the front door and rings the bell hanging from the door. 

The door opens to reveal what Dean can only describe as a little Japanese guy in a sushi chef uniform. He fully expects the man to speak in broken English with a heavy accent but when he opens his mouth to speak it is with only a hint of one.

“Welcome, come in,” he urges and looks at Dean first. His dark eyes bore into him and Dean can only stare back, unsure of what he is supposed to do.

Unprompted, Sam steps in and slides his shoes off before stepping up one step to the polished hardwood floor. Everyone looks at Dean and he slips off the prison issued shoes before stepping up as well. Hell, he’s not a moron, he’s seen samurai movies.

Mr. Singer makes the introductions then speaks to the owner of the school briefly in Japanese before announcing that he’s going to wait for Sam in the car.

“We can discuss this arrangement in here,” Matsushita says as he slides open a door and gestures for Sam to enter, slipping in before Dean has the chance, though he does follow. “It is my understanding, Mr. Winchester, that you want to entrust your brother to my care.”

“Yes sir,” Sam states and sits as a chair is indicated for him. Dean does not get the same treatment so he looks around the room. “He’s been brainwashed by my father to believe he’s…”

“Dad didn’t brain wash me, Sam,” Dean cuts in.

Both men ignore the omega. “If that wasn’t enough he’s been using him to commit crimes, mostly small time stuff, illegal gambling and…”

“Don’t talk about dad like that.” He’s getting furious, staring at his brother with a furrowed brow. “He was protecting me from exactly this.”

“Let your brother have his say,” Matsushita says roughly from behind Dean.

“No, you know what this is bullshit,” Dean hollers. “I took care of myself, and dad, for years, I don’t need to be reeducated or whatever. I want to leave. I'm not a fucking sex toy, I'm not going to bend over for any alpha.”

For some reason Sam nods and then the flesh of Dean’s back feels like it’s on fire. He spins around to see the proprietor holding a long, thin stick and wearing a disappointed look. Dean looks back at his brother with the same pleading look.

Sam swallows and then continues, every word feeling like the ultimate betrayal. Dean frowns and shakes his head. This is happening. One stupid mistake and he’s going to be turned into a rich man’s plaything. He wants to cry and punch both men in the room with him, tear down the paper doors and set them on fire. Closing his eyes he imagines doing just that, but he’s standing there, like the useless omega that he is while his brother talks about him like he isn’t even there.

A hand on his shoulder rouses him from his daydream and when he opens his eyes Sam is looking at him with concern and fear. “Dean, Sensei Matsushita, is going to take you. Please cooperate. This is one of the best schools in the world, much less the states.” He pauses and inhales, looking like he is struggling to believe it himself. “I will come visit you.”

Dean just shakes his head. “I’ll never forgive you for this.”

Sam doesn’t reply as he’s being ushered out of the door by the Sensei. Dean just stands there, hands at his side, back still burning from the twitch. 

“You’re too old to sleep with the children,” Sensei states as he closes the door behind Sam. “You will sleep with me.”

Dean balks then remembers the stick. “Yes, sir,” he says.

“Follow me,” he instructs and Dean moves to obey until Sensei halts suddenly, twitch coming up to block his path. “Always wait for me to walk three paces before starting to move yourself.”

“Yes, sir.” He hates himself for going along with this and waits for the shorter man to take the required three steps before following him.

“Hai, sensei,” the man says.

“Excuse me?” Dean shakes his head, confused.

“It means yes, teacher,” Matsushita says.

“Oh.”

“Oh.” The teacher mimics with laughter in his voice. Was the guy that just hit him with a stick joking with him now?

It turns out what sensei means by sleeping together is to pull out two bedrolls from the closet. He shows Dean how to roll them out which seemed fairly common sense. It doesn’t look that bad despite that they’re going to sleep on the floor, in fact it's almost cozy looking. 

"Here you do not have to wear the hood," he explains as he begins to strip. "Unless the bell rings. That means I have visitors and all my students don their hoods."

Dean nods his understanding. 

"You may undress for bed," Matsushita instructs as he crawls into his bedroll. 

The omega obliges silently, after getting the light stripping off the stupid yellow robe and the undergarment before crawling into bed. It's not as uncomfortable as he would have suspected. He pulls the thick blanket over himself and stares at the dark ceiling. 

He could try to leave, the teacher was already snoring. Wearing what clothes though? Dean suspects a hooded man walking along the road would get the police called on him again. Sleep evades him for several hours but he succumbs eventually.


	3. Chapter 3

He's woken up in what has to be the early hours by a gentle shake to the shoulders. Dean groans when he remembers where he is and covers his head with the blanket. This was really happening to him. He hears an exasperated sigh and the blanket is yanked back down. 

"I will help you dress," he says and offers his hand to pull Dean up to standing. 

Dean starts to protest but takes the hand shuts his mouth and gets up. His teacher is already dressed in long, dark, layered robes with a sash across his stomach. 

"In Japan omegas are revered, honored. There is no shame in it. You will wear hooded kimono to show your status and wear it with pride. Many of my students continue to wear kimono after being mated."

Matsushita taps Dean's hip, indicating he should get rid of the long underwear Dean had worn to bed. He complies with another irritated look and lets the garment fall to the floor. The instructor slips on the first layer and ties it to the side under his armpit before tugging on another one over it. 

“The obi goes here on men of any designation,” his new prison guard states. “When you are pregnant it will go up here.” A finger traces just under Dean’s chest. He wants to object at the statement, that him being mated off and bred is not a done deal just yet but Matsushita is already speaking again.

"You are not a sex object. We do not mate off whores here. Your mate will have be carefully judged to ensure he deserves you." He picks up a sash and starts wrapping it over Dean’s navel then moves to stand behind him to tie it. "Later I will show you how to tie this but we need to hurry." He holds up a pair of socks that Dean recognizes from movies. He tries not to laugh because this is just ridiculous, he's going to look stupid and no one is going to ever want an oversized omega dressed up like something he's not. "Put these on and I will find you more yukata in your size while you draw water.” 

Dean thinks he's going to need an explanation at some point on how selling his virginity and being trained on being a good omega is not making him a whore but he isn't going to push it this early. "Yes, sensei," he grumbles and reaches for the stupid socks. 

"Ie, no," he corrects gently. "Always with both hands."

Dean doesn't see the point in taking something as small as socks with both hands but he complies. 

"See," sensei says happily, "more elegant that way."

Dean pulls on the socks, finding it difficult with the way the robes are tightly wrapped around him but manages to get them on. He nearly follows when sensei leave but then remembers and counts three steps before moving himself. On the way out he catches sight of himself in a mirror and pulls a face. Okay so it doesn't look that strange, but the robe is too short and he still feels like he's freeballing in a dress. Outside, Matsushita makes him try on various sandals outside and Dean is baffled about how he’ll ever walk on cobblestones in shoes that have two slats running perpendicular to his feet.

It turns out it is not that hard, though he makes a hell of a lot of noise in them. The greatest hindrance is that he cannot take long strides with the way the robe is cinched to him. At most he can step the length of his own foot. He gets the hang of it after his second trip and soon he’s drawing water and carrying it to the kitchen, two buckets at a time, though he’s annoyed he has to take off the sandals each time he enters the house. 

When all the tanks are filled that Matsushita had indicated Dean takes time to look around the small kitchen. Everything is neat and scrubbed clean, it would be homey if he had chosen to be there. He turns as he hears the teacher enter, holding a few hooded robes. 

“You maybe the tallest taikomochi this okiya has ever seen,” he states as he sets the folded garments off to the side. Dean isn’t sure what most of those words meant but he figures it means all his robes are going to be too short.

"Look, I don't want to learn to fan dance or whatever it is you do here, okay? I'm too old and way too big for all that delicate shit. I'll just screw it up." Dean gives the teacher a pleading look but all he gets is a poker faced stare back at him.

"Fine, then you will learn flower arranging."

Dean rolls his eyes because that's got to be a joke. A pretty unfunny one but he can't be too mad since the guy is trying to be nice. He is instructed to shred some hard, white, and strange thing and slice tofu for soup. Dean doesn’t know how this constitutes a breakfast but his stomach is rumbling and after an hour he’s helping to set out miso soup, bowls of steamed rice, and fish for the students in a different dining room from the one he and his brother had their first meeting with the teacher.

He doesn’t know what he expects when the students start filing in, but the happy chatter and giggling is not it. They seem like normal students, if not for their matching subduedly patterned cotton kimonos and the way they kneel at the low table and wait. Dean gets some odd glances but no one questions him so he stands off to the side, watching. When Matsushita enters the room the dining hall falls silent.

“I have taken on a special student,” Matsushita states and gestures to Dean with a hand. He can feel every eye on him for a second before they turn back to the teacher at the center of the table. “Dean may have questions and I encourage him to ask anyone and for you to answer him. He is new to this despite his age, I know you all will treat him with utmost kindness.”

The entire room turns to him and offers a bow from their seated positions and Dean feels compelled to mimic it as well as he can. “Now eat up,” Sensei instructs gently.

“Itadakimasu,” comes the chorus of students and Dean moves to take a seat near the foot of the table, ignoring the fact that the only free space is near a couple of five year olds. He looks at the way the other students are seated and wonders how they handle it. It’s impossible to get both feet under himself and the robes are much too tight for him to sit cross legged. After a great deal of difficulty of kneeling halfway he drops his knees to the floor, landing with a loud thud that sends several looks his way.

He offers a little wave and picks up his chopsticks. By the time Dean figures out that he’s merely supposed to shovel his rice into his mouth, his feet and ankles are asleep. When the rest of the students are stacking their plates he’s numb to his knees and his hand is cramping so bad he can barely get the fish to his mouth. 

Dean barely manages to not throw his utensils away in disgust as his plates are picked up by a student. He can’t get up or feel his legs and all he wants to do is fall over sideways until he can get the circulation going again. Out of the corner of one eye he catches how an older omega with waves embroidered into his robe gets up. He attempts to copy the movement but when he gets one foot under him he cannot feel that it is there.

The omega stumbles, back treading until his back come in contact with the wall behind him. He leans on it and wiggles his toes, trying to get some feeling back in them until pushing off. 

“Not very graceful,” Matsushita tsks at him. “Follow me.”

Dean is not sure why obliges when everything in his being tells him to run. The room he is led to has an American style desk and a chair with several books stacked on it. He’s never been so happy to see a chair in his life.

"You can read, yes?" The question would be insulting if Dean didn't know that so many omegas are never taught and it's not like he's ever been in a school before now. 

"Learned off of diner menus, so uh, not very well."

“You will study until lunch,” the teacher insists with a flourish of his hand to indicate the desk. “While the students enjoy their hour of free time I will work with you personally.”

Matsushita seems to be waiting for some indication that Dean has heard him so he nods once and overs a quick, ‘yes sensei’. With that the teacher is gone and Dean is left standing in what appears to be the proprietor’s personal office.

He doesn’t sit immediately, instead making his way to a table at the far wall. There are several photographs of Matsushita through various points of his life. In every one of them he is laughing, whether it be with a hooded student following some instruction or with people that are obviously his peers. Dean picks up a frame that sits front and center, a ribbon with Japanese lettering tucked across the corner.

A somewhat younger sensei and a man with blue eyes are laughing, not looking directly at the camera. Both of them are wearing traditional Japanese clothing and holding what looks like wooden swords. The blue-eyed man has a helmet of some sort tucked into the crook of his arm, his hair a mess from having just taken it off Dean guesses. 

Whoever he is, he is obviously important to Matsushita. As he looks over the frames again Dean notices that he is in every picture that does not feature a student, even if he is not the subject of the photograph. Releasing a deep sigh, he puts the frame down and slowly makes his way to the desk to see what books his instructor has left for him.

The first book takes him by surprise. The title reads Hagakure and the subtitle reads The Book of the Samurai. The one under it simply says Taikomochi which he is pretty sure he has heard the sensei say earlier. Knowing what a samurai is and thinking may have been included as a joke he opens the second book and starts reading, curiosity having gotten the best of him.

Dean is a little disappointed to find out that taikomochi is what omegas with special schooling are referred to in Japan. Several pages in and he’s surprised that not once are subjugation, child bearing, or sex brought up. The last sentence of the first chapter has him confused. The life of a taikomochi is at its core, about the furthering of art and celebration of intellect.

He snorts, he’s never been artsy or praised on his intelligence. Then again he’s spent the past ten years as a criminal and never heard much praise from his father for anything. The omega has to admit his interest is peaked by the lengthy and descriptive chapter on the drums. 

“Ah, you started the book on taikomochi first,” comes the soft voice of his instructor from the entryway to his office.

“Yeah well, I figured this is what you want me to be, unless I can pick. Cause please, sword wielding sounds much better than fan dancing and telling dirty jokes.” Dean purses his lips and looks up at the ceiling. “Though I do have a couple of those.”

Matsushita laughs. “You will have to tell them to me some time,” he says with a glint in his eye. Dean would think maybe he isn’t such a bad guy if he wasn’t carrying that stick he hit him with on the first night. “It will have to wait unfortunately. It is lunch time.”

Lunch consists of noodles with a dipping sauce. It seems stupid to dip the noodles when you could just pour the sauce over them, but obviously you’re allowed to make obnoxious slurping noises when you eat them and that’s something Dean can get behind. He’s also appreciative that Matsushita has left a place next to him to sit so he’s not at the kindergartner end of the table. 

Regardless his feet still fall asleep again and it takes him a minute to get up. Dean is starting to wonder if he will ever feel full again or be able to get up without stumbling. He also is wondering why it was necessary to learn all this when it was presumable that whomever he would be mated off to would have a regular, American style house. Not that he's going to let himself get mated off. 

Verbally, he doesn’t question it. He wants out, but he’s not sure where he would go. Mr. Singer would drag him right back here or throw him in a state run facility. Dad wasn’t coming back. He could stay here, dragging enough water into an enormous house for fifty people and reading on how fucking special he was but he wanted to choose it. Being auctioned off to the highest bidder took away all his free will and he had nineteen years of it and wasn’t about to give it up now.

Dean obeys. He would like to think it is because he chooses to. For the next hour he learns how to sit and stand in the confine of his robes, how to open doors from the kneeling position. He learns how to bow from the waist and how to drop to the floor to bow as well. Even something as simple as transferring items from person to person has a method to it. It’s not hard and it’s a bit better than worrying about hustling pool in a smoky barroom with guys leering at him like they could eat him for dinner.

When their hour is over he is instructed to head to the office again and finish his reading. After they have bowed and his instructor has left Dean makes his way from the tearoom to the office and heads to the desk to pick up his book. He can hear music from a distant part of the house and wonders if that’s the students learning to dance like his book mentions. 

The omega sighs and runs a hand over his forehead. He is way to old and ungraceful to learn what the book is describing. Pouring drinks, conversations, that he can do, but dancing, please no. And the flower arranging thing was not a joke? Kill him now. In no time he is done with the book on taikomochi and because it might be interesting starts on the Hagakure. 

This book is not explanatory at all. It is instead a collection of philosophies and stories. Dean doesn’t understand why he’s been given it to read but he is enthralled with it. The music stops and he can hear the students moving around in the hallways to their next lessons. When the house falls quiet again the only sound Dean hears is the clock on the desk ticking away the seconds.

The sliding door opens and Dean turns to see the oldest omega standing at the entryway. He bows after he's entered, not bothering with the door. Dean stands and bows, not dropping to the floor because he is not sure he’d be able to get up again after the beating his knees took in his lesson.

“Sensei Matsushita asks that you help prepare dinner,” he states as he rises from the bow. The dark blue robe has snowflakes printed down one sleeve and a tiger reclining in snow embroidered on its bottom corner. The sash is the same orange color of the fur and done up with ropes and baubles. Dean recalls from the book that his manner of dress means he is a taikomachi almost done with his schooling.

“Hope you guys like fried eggs or hamburgers cause that’s about the extent of my cooking,” he teases, trying to lighten the formality of the situation.

“It’s spaghetti and meat sauce with a salad,” he says with a smile on his slightly chubby face. 

“Really?” He knows he looks shocked.

“We rarely eat traditional Japanese food for dinner,” the teenager shrugs. He looks amused.

“What’s your name?”

“Andy,” he answers.

“I’m Dean,” he says with a smile. “Can I ask you something? Why do you think I’m here? Why would your sensei take someone like me in?”

“I’ve actually speculated on that quite a bit but can we talk about it while we cook?”

“Sure, I’m actually the spaghetti fucking master.”

Andy laughs and turns to exit. “Are there any special rules about how I have to walk with you?” Dean asks as he closes the door.

The other omega answers easily. “Only if one of us were mated which it’s pretty obvious we’re not.”

Dean shrugs at that and they walk together back to the kitchen. Their conversation over the food preparation is more helpful than anything he’s read so far. As to why the proprietor has taken in Dean, Andy suspects that it’s because other methods of rehabilitation and even the training of very young omegas is barbaric. If Matsushita can retrain Dean to accept what he is and have him mated off, it adds credence to the argument that this manner of training is superior to the others. The sensei expects compliance and effort but he isn’t cruel. 

Andy also explains that the older taikomochi, ones that are either done or nearly done with their training, are often requested to attend parties as entertainment or merely to mingle with the guests. It is usually how they meet the men that decide to court them.

He is surprised to find out that according to their sensei’s rules the alpha must first ask the omega if he is allowed to court him. Then the alpha asks the omega’s family. A taikomochi usually only stays at the okiya for one or two years after their training is completed. By that time they’ve found their mate. Andy’s training has been completed for only a few months, but he has already turned down the only suitor that has approached him because after a month of courting it was obvious the man was a bore and only wanted to most expensively trained omega.

When Dean asks about happy endings for the omegas Andy nods earnestly and promises to show him the pictures that they often send of their families and lives after the school. He considers this for a moment as he stirs multiple pots of boiling noodles and the sauce he’s thrown together. Andy excuses himself and comes back from an attached room with a tray full of typical, store bought salad dressings. 

“Wait, aren’t those supposed to be kept in a fridge?” Dean asks, brows knitted together in confusion.

“Yeah, that’s why they were in one.” Andy gives him a confused look.

“The whole place has electricity?” Dean turned off an electric lamp in Matsushita's room but he had thought that was because he was the boss. He looks around the room, noticing now that the paper lantern on the sideboard has an electrical cord running out the back of it.

“Yeah,” the younger omega says slowly. “OH!” He laughs, setting down the tray to have a good laugh. “We only use it when we need heat or cooling and in winter we need lights because it get’s dark early.” It takes a minute for him to get it out as he is giggling hard at Dean’s confusion.

“They couldn’t have installed some running water too?” Dean scowls at the tank of water he filled in the corner.

Andy keeps giggling, now almost doubled over. “This part of the school was built before running water, over a hundred years ago, fitting it with electricity was easier than tearing up everything for pipes. The newer parts are built in the same style but are fully modern.” He stops laughing and looks at Dean. “You haven’t had to go to the restroom? Haven’t you been here for almost twenty-four hours?”

Dean gives Andy an irritated look then thinks about it. “Actually I haven’t been able to get enough food in me to be full or drank much, I’ll be sure to fix that at dinner if you promise to show me where they are after.”

“Of course,” he laughs again and picks up the tray.

Dinner is the same as lunch and breakfast except there are actual forks and Dean is able to get more food into himself. He eats so ravenously he’s the first to finish so he sits and watches the other students eat and talk among themselves. It is a little lonely, knowing they all have their friends and that he’s the weird older freak.

Andy probably earns top dollar out on his little errands because he’s quick to notice Dean’s wistful look and strike up a conversation about movies. It surprises Dean that a guy that grew up in an antique school knows as much as he does. When the meal is over and Andy has shown him where the dorm bathrooms are, he does the dishes by himself, laughing at himself when he turns on the lamp on the sideboard so he can see better. No one comes to get him so he walks along the halls, sticking his head into a few rooms. There's a library with a couple of computers on regular desks, a few classrooms that look normal enough. He realizes he could probably slip out any number of the large windows and run for it but looks down at his too short robe and lack of shoes and sighs.

Dean heads to Matsushita's room and gets out the bedrolls from the closet, grumbling about not understanding what the Japanese have against permanent furniture. He slaps at the knot of the sash tied at the small of his back for a minute before feeling really stupid and turning it around his waist so he can undo it from the front. After folding up the sash and outer robe he lays on one of the bedrolls, looking up at the ceiling and trying not to hate himself for not running away.

Matsushita comes in a few minutes later holding a brown paper bag. He holds it out and Dean takes it with both hands. “You’ve been off the suppressants for nearly thirty-six hours.”

He nods and already knows what the bag contains. “I think I’ll get ready for bed in the restroom.”

“Very well,” the instructor says gently and rearranges his bedroll to climb in.

Dean makes his way down the hallway to the communal bathroom, locking the door behind him. He looks into the bag and then up at the door. Maybe he could find suppressants himself. He could just run, steal some clothes and a car and find a back alley chemist to make some if he had too. With a resigned sigh he slits open the package with his thumbnail. Not this long off his pills, it was too risky. If Dean went into heat while on the run there is no telling what would happen to him. It was better to stay here and ride out his heat in a place where he got three meals a day and people knew how to deal with it. He could always try to escape when it was over.

Pulling on the absorbent, heavily padded underwear makes him want to cry. Then he wants to stab himself because that’s such an omega reaction to have about it. He looks at himself in the mirror for a minute then brushes his teeth with the toothbrush that was also in the bag. 

“If your body has never cycled before it’s going to be painful,” his teacher says from under the blanket as Dean deposits the bag on a side table. 

“I know I ran out once, my dad gave me a shot of something,” he states morosely, climbing into his bedroll.

“You may also need to come to terms with the fact that he may have damaged you irreparably. I’m going to schedule a doctor to come see you first thing next week.” 

“What happens to me if I am?” Dean asks looking up at the ceiling, voice sounding far sadder than it should.

“Then I will offer you a position here as an employee,” comes Matsushita’s sleepy voice through the dark. “Sleep Dean, tomorrow will be a rough day.”

“Good night, sensei.” He turns on his side and curls up, pulling his blankets over his head to further shut out the rest of the world.


	4. Chapter 4

It is the excruciating pain that wakes Dean up, holding his stomach and curled in a tighter ball. Matsushita is gone and the room is still dark. He is unsure if it is the curtains that are drawn or that it the sun hasn’t risen. There is slick wet between his legs and the omega can smell blood, making him nauseous.

He clutches his stomach and rolls in the bedroll, twisting the blankets around him. Dean groans and tries to get comfortable, knees under him, stomach against his thigh. After laying there for a moment he realizes he’s in the position of presenting and flops over on his side and sits up. That proves to be too much, a wave of nausea and hunger rolling over him.

He decides it’s better to ride it out lying down and if no one is trying to get him up to work he is going to take advantage of it. Blinking in the darkness, Dean lays there for several minutes, trying to think about anything but the sensation that his stomach is being ripped apart. Unfortunately when it feels like you’re being clawed apart from the inside it’s a hard thing to ignore and he’s happy for the distraction of the door sliding open and someone walking towards him.

From the elaborate fan motif along the bottom of the robe Dean knows it’s not Matsushita. “It’s me, Jeffrey,” the owner of the feet says in a whisper. “How are you feeling?”

Dean twists his head and looks up at Jeffrey, scowling. “I’m hungry, horny, in pain, nauseated, pissed off, and wearing a diaper.”

Jeffrey kneels and sets the tray aside, giving a little laugh. He picks up a pill bottle and shakes out two tablets. “For pain,” he says and picks up a round mug of tea for Dean to take the pills with. “The tea will make you sleepy. It’s easier to sleep through this.”

Dean props himself up on an elbow and takes the pills and tea earnestly. “Is it always like this? I want to eat everything and be, ya know, but I also don’t want anyone to touch me.” He throws the pills into his mouth and drains the mug in one gulp. 

“No,” Jeffrey shakes his head. “A mild annoyance at most.” He pauses to take the empty mug from Dean. “Sensei sent some things for you.”

The taikomochi indicates two books on the tray with a hand. Dean notices how even the slight movement made between peers has a grace and elegance to it. He squints at the titles. One is the Hagakure and the other is a medical textbook on omegas. “Thanks,” he says and settles back into his bedroll.

“Before you get too sleepy, might I suggest you take advantage of the empty showers?” Jeffrey asks carefully. “The students are eating breakfast now.”

Dean doesn’t have to be told twice. He pushes up to seated and rubs a hand over his stomach. “Yeah, I think I’ll do that.”

“There is rice in miso broth, it will settle your stomach,” Jeffrey says as he stands. Dean now recognizes him as the omega he watched to try and mimic how to get up and down from their kneeling positions. Once standing Jeffrey bows, hands hooked together by his thumbs sliding down the front of his thighs. “I hope you feel better soon, Dean.”

As Jeffrey makes his exit Dean notices that his sash hangs nearly to the ground, remembering that it means he’s not done with training but will work entertaining clients. Once he manages to get his feet under him he grabs the brown paper bag and makes his way to the restroom. In the shower and with the bloody underwear discarded in a bin marked ‘incineration’ he tries to collect his thoughts, closing his eyes and letting the warm water run over him. 

Should he stay? He has been effectively offered a job if he does. It’s not the life Dean wanted, but neither was petty theft and weapons trafficking. A job at a school for omegas wouldn’t give him the freedom that he had perceived as normal when he was with his father but it was a job. What is more important is that would be his choice.

He looks down at his feet, stomach clenching at the sight of thick dark blood swirling in the drain with the water. A job, something that would support himself. Hauling water and preparing food wasn’t so bad and Matsushita had been kind save the incident with the switch. 

Dean rubs his body dry with a towel from a shelf and pulls on the robe he had worn the night previous. He yawns at his reflection in a mirror and then gives himself a lopsided smile. The next time he sees Matsushita he will tell him he isn’t a flight risk, he will stay and take the job, but that he doesn’t want to be trained for mating.

Once he is back in the room he shares with his boss he parts the curtains over the screens slightly to let in some light before sitting down on the matt to eat his rice. It is the right decision. This is being cared for but without the false sugary sweet attitude he received in prison and he’s helping in return. After setting aside the rice bowl and chopsticks he gets into his bedroll and retrieves the Hagakure from the tray to read until he falls asleep.

When he is woken up again it is by Andy, bringing another bowl of rice and a pot of tea. Dean’s book has fallen on his chest and he’s sprawled out, legs and arms hanging off the bedroll. 

“You can take another dose of pills now if you think you need it,” Andy says and holds up a round tea mug, one hand under it, the other wrapped around the side. Dean tries to copy the gesture as he takes it, ruining the elegance of it when he drinks it down in one gulp again.

“Think I better, just in case,” he agrees.

Andy shakes out two pills into Dean’s waiting hand then fills his mug again. “May I ask you something?”

He wants to say no but he knows that isn’t fair. “Sure,” he says with a shrug after he’s taken the pills.

“You’re too old to have a heat like this, I can smell blood. Is that why you’ve never been mated?”

Dean shakes his head then settles back down, lying with his hands crossed over his book. “I used to take suppressants. I’ve never had a real heat before.”

“Did someone make you?” Andy sounds revolted by the idea.

“Yeah but then I went along with it after he told me the truth.” His eyes are locked on the ceiling. “I hate this frou frou omega shit, I really do, but I’m not going to try and run away. Matsushita offered me a job if no one wants me for a mate. I’m going to take it now. I don’t want to be mated.”

Andy seems to consider this for a moment before nodding once. “It’s your decision.”

“Yeah, exactly,” he mutters and turns his head to the omega, sitting near him. “Did you want to come here?”

“When I was five?” Andy laughs. “No, I wanted to ride bikes and pretend to be a pirate like most five year olds. The more I learned the more I realized that this was the best place for me. Most omegas are never taught read. And I got to pretend I was a pirate anyway. I just did it here.”

Dean smiles at that. “I didn’t expect all the laughter, y’all giggle a lot.”

“We’re safe and content,” he says with a shrug.

He pushes up and takes the rice bowl, using both hands. “Thank you,” Dean says, “for everything.”

“I can stay if you want, its lunch time so I’m not missing anything.” The taikomochi offers but Dean waves him off. 

“No, go eat. I’m not going to be responsible for you passing out while you’re fan dancing or whatever.”

Andy has the decency to laugh at his little joke. “You’d make an excellent taikomochi. You’re actually right though, Jeffrey and I are working tonight.”

“You’ll have to tell me about that,” Dean says between shoveling rice in his mouth and eating the fish tucked in the sides of the bowl.

“I will and I’ll bring pictures,” he promises and stands up then bows in the same manner Jeffrey had previous. Dean returns it with a little bow of his own. When the omega is gone he picks up the medical textbook this time, happy that this is what is provided instead of the terrible books he’s seen at stores with cartoon happy faces covering the genitalia and cutesy language to describe what omegas are.

The bad part about the book being a professional text is that it’s dry so between that and the food, medication, and tea Dean is asleep halfway through the second chapter.

He wakes up slowly, noting that it’s pitch black in the room and that he is alone. Stretching and yawning he turns to the side. His books have been stacked, there is a new covered bowl of rice, pills in a shallow dish, and someone has refilled his teapot. The pills have made him groggy but he can feel the slick between his legs and desperately needs to use the restroom.

He gets up slowly, noting the curtains have been drawn as well. Staying is the correct decision he reaffirms with the memory that there were no curtains here the first night. This was done simply to make him comfortable just like the toiletries that have been placed on the sideboard near the bag. He wonders if Andy told their sensei of his plans to stay.

Shrugging it off and hoping there is no one in the restroom, Dean scoops up everything laid out for him into his arms and heads that way. Soon he’s in the warmth of the shower, washing away the stench that has permeated through his robes. He doesn’t want to put the offensive garment back on so he shoves it in his bag and wraps a towel around his underwear-clad waist to head back to his room.

Dean rounds the corner and gasps as he is met by a figure in the hallway. It’s too tall to be Matsushita.

“They said you had decided to stay.” The voice is unknown to him, sounds female.

“I am,” he reassures the person quickly, cutting her off. “It’s not like I’m running away wearing only a towel and in heat.”

The figure laughs and steps forward. She’s wearing a fluffy robe and cushy looking slippers, her dark hair is in a messy bun on top of her head. “It wasn’t an accusation, I was going to welcome you. I’m Ellen Harvelle, teach math, English, and supervise recess for the younger kids. I also stick around when Toshi is out.” 

“Toshi?” Dean cocks his head with confusion then realizes. “Oh Matsushita!”

Ellen smiles and nods, her features seem kind even in the dark. “It was nice to meet you. I was up checking on the students, not snooping, by the way. Go get some sleep and come to breakfast if you’re up for it.”

“Yes, ma’am,” he says and steps aside to let the teacher by. “Oh, what time is it?”

“Midnight,” she replies. “Good night Dean.”

“Good night, ma’am.”

Back in the room he pulls on a too short under-robe and gets back in bed. Dean takes his pills and washes it down with several mugfulls of tepid tea. The combination keeps his pain down to a dull ache and he wants to make it to breakfast tomorrow and see how many more questions he can get answered. 

Despite making it to breakfast, not many questions are answered. Ms. Harvelle is busy with students and Matsushita, Andy, and Jeffery all seem to still be missing. He heads back to his room to read and wait. After what seems like hours the door is slid open and Matsushita steps in, looking a little tired.

“Good afternoon,” Dean says politely, offering a little bow from his bedroll. He feels much better but he’s not at a hundred percent and has been taking advantage of his time.

“You have decided to stay as my employee,” the teacher states as he heads to a dresser and starts pulling out clothes. 

“You had offered,” he replies as he shuts his book. “The likelihood of anyone wanting me for their mate is slim and a real, legal job has its appeal.”

“You mean the likelihood of you wanting anyone as a mate,” Matsushita corrects as he places a toiletry bag on top of one pile of robes. 

“Yeah, uh, yes, sir, that too.” Dean offers a lopsided smile. “I’m trying to be cooperative, just don’t make it too hard on me please?”

“You will still complete training,” his boss states. “If you are to work here you will need the knowledge for when I need help with the students.”

“Yes, sensei.”

“Do you feel well enough for some light chores?” Matsushita makes his way to the door.

“Yes, sensei.”

“Dress, clean up the kitchen and then feed the koi, there is food in the foyer that we went through to gather water.”

“Yes, sensei.”

With that Matsushita is gone, leaving Dean to comply on his own. He sighs heavily and sets to his tasks. It is Saturday and with no lessons some of the younger children are eager to help him feed the koi. He finds he likes their company though it makes him wonder if he would have been just as happy if he had entered this life at five like they had.

Later after dinner while the students have crowded into a classroom for movie night, Matsushita pulls Dean aside and outlines what is expected of him. Every morning Dean will draw the water for the okiya. He is to help the sensei prepare breakfast every morning and help whomever with dinner every evening. In between that time he is to read what Matsushita sets out for him and occasionally take lessons on whatever will help the proprietor teach the students. His name will be added to the cleaning rotation.

Dean agrees easily because if he’s honest with himself he would probably be doing the equivalent job in the real world with his lack of experience and education. He pours himself into his work, half-assing nothing. Andy and Jeffery become his friends quickly and after a few nights they urge him to move into his dorm. Matsushita agrees with this and Dean thinks it’s probably because he just wants the omega out of his room.

It is the morning after his first night sharing a room with his friends that comes the announcement from Matsushita that his regular guest will be visiting and to be mindful of the bell and that no one is allowed in the courtyard between noon and three PM. He then asks Jeffery to bring them their tea before the meal begins.

As they escort the smallest children to class Andy discloses everything he knows without Dean’s prompting. Sensei Matsushita has a guest every other Thursday. He has never offered the students his name or any history so they simply refer to him as the blue-eyed man. They have a formal tea ceremony and lunch in the chashitsu then go to the garden to spar kendo. 

It is without a doubt that Dean knows the blue-eyed man is the one from the photographs in Matsushita’s office. The bell sounds while Dean is reading on child nutrition. He pulls his hood up despite being alone in the library the sensei had instructed him to start using. The shoji is open a crack and he can hear the quiet, friendly exchanges of what must be very old friends. Dean goes back to reading as the voices diminish, the path to the chashitsu not taking them past the library. 

After lunch, Dean heads back to the library to read, taking with him a few of the middle-aged students. They crowd around a game of Othello while Dean decides it’s time for some Vonnegut, having had his fill on the digestive tracts of children.

Ten and eleven year olds giggle and whisper, he understands that, but today they seem to be at it full force. Dean ignores it, until it becomes unbearable.

“I’m going to get a drink of water,” he announces. “Don’t destroy anything while I’m gone.”

He heads to the kitchen and fills a large drinking bowl from the vessel containing the well water. With a sigh he leans against the center countertop to drink, his thoughts mostly on how annoying wearing a hood is. The sound of giggling hits his ears again and he just rolls his eyes and shakes his head. It continues and he realizes that it’s not coming from the library but from the refrigerator room. Dean sneaks in, curious to see why children would be laughing in there of all places.

They’re all pressed to the window, some standing on the low shelves underneath to look. Dean walks up behind them and growls ‘boo’ at them, making them all squeal. He laughs and presses his finger to his lips, stooping to join them.

It is obvious what they’re looking at. In the garden is the blue eyed man and their sensei sparring just as Andy had described. He watches transfixed, the movements just as graceful as his friends’ fan dances. One of the younger students tugs on his sleeve, silently asking to be picked up. Dean scoops him up and holds him in front of him. The group watches for several minutes, many of the younger students using him to climb up on to see better. 

Neither men wear the armor from the photographs in Matsushita’s office, though both are barefoot. The blue-eyed man is in typical work out pants and a t-shirt and the Sensei wears his usual robes. Some of the same students still giggle and chatter, coming up with their own hypothesis of who the blue-eyed man is. 

Dean watches as both men pant and laugh under the exertion of their actions. The blue-eyed man holds up a hand in a request for a pause, then strips himself of his shirt. Every omega pressed up against the glass sucks in a breath at the sight. 

He’s trim and slender but not thin. As their sparring resumes it is easy to see that he moves with an unconstrained power checked only by the formality of the sport. He turns to block a strike, revealing a splash of darkened flesh that Dean knows to be scarring.

“It’s a good look for you,” comes Harvelle’s voice from the entryway, and the students scatter, the boy in his arms squirming out of his arms. "Hanging with the kids."

“I was just…” he starts but stops and shrugs with a laugh.

“Checking out the blue-eyed man?” Harvelle laughs and swats the last student on the butt as he runs past.

“Do you know his name?”

“Yup.”

“Not going to tell me are you?”

“Nope.”

Dean exhales slowly and affects the smile that usually had his marks just a little off guard. “Can’t blame me for admiring the view.”

“Not hardly, but you should get the kiddos rounded up so I can teach them math.”

He nods once and steps forward, waiting for Harvelle to move so he can follow.

“You look like a love-sick fool,” Harvelle states and shakes her head as she turns off. Dean ignores this and heads to collect the students. 

It is after depositing the students in their class room that he’s heading back to his shared room still pouting over the love-sick comment from Harvelle when the door to the sento opens and Dean full on body checks the person leaving it. Dean gasps from the surprise, mouth open, his hand clasping to the back of his head to keep his hood in place as he stumble steps backwards.

His eyes go wide when the blue eyes hit his own. Dean gapes, every witty comment or apology leaving him. The blue-eyed man’s mouth is hanging open as well, his eyes searching Dean’s face as hand reaches up as if going to straighten Dean’s robe for him then dropping it to his side.

“Gomen nasai,” the blue-eyed man mumbles and takes a step back to bow slightly.

Dean is confused why he is speaking Japanese when they are both clearly American. He bows to hide his face telling him no a few times in Japanese. When he rises, the dark hair and a tan trench coat are all he sees, rapidly leaving him behind in the hall.

The omega takes a minute to get his bearings before quickly heading to his room throwing open the shoji and stepping in. Andy is on his back on his futon spinning a fan on one finger while his other hand holds up a book. Dean drops to his knees and grabs the fan, halting it’s twirling and getting his friend's attention. 

“I'm getting in there with him. Teach me everything you know,” he breathes to which his friend merely nods. Dean scowls at the fan and plucks it off Andy's finger, then tosses it over his shoulder. "Just not that, I don't care about that."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> People are reading this??? And liking it??? 
> 
> I had off a bunch of days but go back to work tomorrow so the chapters are going to be a little more slow after this.
> 
> Answering some questions with this link. They're being trained essentially the same but with more emphasis on domestic duties. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taikomochi


	5. Chapter 5

The next two weeks are spent with his usual chores occasionally meeting with Andy or Jeffery to learn the little nuances of what alphas desire. When the next Thursday that the blue-eyed man should be visiting rolls around, Dean is so eagerly awaiting the announcement he doesn’t feel the normal dead leg sensation spread over him as he sits seiza.

When Sensei finally gets up to make an announcement Dean is practically thrumming with excitement. He has carefully planned how he will be somewhere outside the sento when the blue-eyed man leaves it. This time he will not lose the faculty of speech when he sees him. He’s going to bring up kendo and talk to him, because he’s been reading about it and he wont stand there like some dewy eyed omega in heat cause some really attractive alpha bumped into him like every single rom-com on the TV channel geared towards stay at home women and omegas. Not that he did that last time. He was just shocked.

“Since I am not expecting my usual visitor today, lunch and recess will go on as normal.” With every word that Matsushita utters, Dean can feel his expression betray how irritated he is. “I wish you well in your studies.”

He plays it off. When Andy approaches him about learning how to pour drinks he goes along with it. Over lunch he eats in silence. He retires to their room to read after eating, his heart heavy though he isn’t sure why. Dean doesn’t want to be mated and if the blue-eyed man is unmated at his age then he probably doesn’t either. So why does he want to see him so badly? 

His moping is disturbed by knocking and then the shoji sliding open. Dean grumbles to come in. “Sensei Matsushita wishes to see you in the practice room,” a young omega states as he bows. 

Dean nods his thanks and gathers himself up to head to the room where the taikomochi take their dance lessons. He kneels and sits back on his heels to take a moment to think if he should just ask the instructor about his blue-eyed friend before opening the shoji.

Sensei Matsushita is sitting in the center of the room, two fans laid out in front of him. Dean makes his way to him and bows then dropping to his knees before tucking one foot over the other to sit back.

“Andy has been teaching you how to converse,” Sensei Matsushita states. “I think it’s time you learn how to do so without words.”

Dean shakes his head, thinking that Andy really needed to learn how to keep his mouth shut. “You’ve said yourself that I’m not very graceful.”

“You have been here a month, I am already seeing great improvement,” sensei disagrees and holds up a closed fan. He flips it around his fingers then snaps it open. “Dance is very important.”

“I’m a bull in a china shop," he looks around at the shoji, "with paper walls, dance and I don’t get a long.” He can’t think of one time he’s ever danced, normally danced, even when he had his relative freedom with his father.

“Maybe not like this,” he agrees. The fan is snapped shut and set down between them. Matsushita gets up and heads to the shelving behind him. He slides a wooden screen open and extracts something. “But with this,” he turns and walks back to Dean holding a sword on his extended first and middle fingers, “I think you can find your happy medium.”

Matsushita kneels and sits back in his heels, holding the sword forward. Dean takes the sword with both hands and lifts it to eye level, unsheathing it a few inches to run his thumb along the very sharp blade before snapping it back. “You’re giving a prisoner a weapon?”

“You decided to work here and are free to change the details of the agreement at any time,” his sensei reminds him. 

“I get water and cook,” Dean shakes his head. “I help with the kids. I'm fine with the agreement the way it is.”

“I never told you to go to Andy for lessons yet you did.” Sensei Matsushita raises an eyebrow at him and gives him a little sardonic smile. The fan is picked back up again. “Work as a servant and learn the furuoogi,” Matsushita snaps it open and throws it in the air with a flick of the wrist, making it spin, “or become taikomochi and have more than one weapon at your disposal.”

The omega ducks his head to look at the sword he’s holding in his lap. Of course Matsushita would know about that. “Look don’t get all Mr. Miyagi with me, this is just you trying to make me think this isn’t so bad cause it’s a sword instead of a fan.” He looks at the sword for a few moments. On one hand, it’s a really cool samurai sword, on the other hand, freaking dance. “Well it’s not like anyone is actually going to see my ass doing this,” he grumbles and looks up to his teacher.

Sensei Matsushita responds by raising his arms straight out in front of him and jumping from sitting sieza to land on his feet, looking like he is about to sit in a chair before rising to a standing position. Dean inclines his head to the side for a moment, pursing his lips to show he is impressed before attempting it himself. He manages to get one foot under him but the other catches on the hem of the yukata and he topples over backwards.

“Looks like you have homework,” Sensei Matsushita laughs and offers his hand to pull Dean up.

“Sorry, I’m not used to wearing a dress,” Dean mumbles, surprised at the strength with which the much smaller man pulls him up.

“The tightness of the yukata will teach you some finesse,” his teacher deadpans as he places the fans in a dresser and withdraws a nearly identical sword. Wait were they going to spar? Dean balks.

“Shouldn’t we use those wooden ones?” Dean grimaces and makes a wide gesture, starting to get a little nervous after the glimpse of Sensei Matsushita sparring with the blue-eyed-man.

“We are not going to spar,” the teacher assures his student and walks to the center of the room, gesturing as he goes for Dean to stand next to him. Great so this was dance. He tugs on the side of his obi to show Dean how to insert the sheath of the weapon. The omega mimics the action and gets ready.

After the first fifteen minutes of kneeling and getting back up again Dean is pretty sure that Sensei Matsushita is just fucking with him. This looks nothing like the sparring he witnessed between the blue-eyed man and his instructor and even further from dance. It’s learning to sit and stand all over again. By the time the next fifteen have ticked by, he is sure that he will need double knee replacements by the time he is thirty. When his instructor announces the lesson is over he isn’t quite sure what he has learned but with the way his legs and toes are screaming in pain Dean is ready to all it quits.

“You should reconsider your decision to not become taikomochi,” he says, sliding the screen to the hidden compartment shut. “You may not have the grace some of my other students possess but you might find like kendo kata there are other aspects you could fall into.”

“Kendo kata?” Dean repeats and steps away from the screen towards the door.

“The art of sword fighting that we were just practicing,” the sensei explains softly. “You have been reading and going to your peers for help, you must not be totally opposed to the idea.”

“I just don’t want to let the kids down,” he admits, stomping his feet to get some of the feeling back in them. “They’ll never get real freedom but at least they have a better shot at being treated right if they come from a place like this.”

“Dean, do you know what Jeffrey intends to do after completing his training here?”

“He mentioned something about going to Japan for more,” the omega nods.

“He chose that.”

“Yeah, but he’s only got like three options,” Dean disagrees with a shake of his head and a grimace. “That’s not really freedom.”

“It is more than most omegas have,” Matsushita reminds him and starts to move towards the door as well. “And in the hanamachi of Japan, Jeffrey will have complete autonomy.”

“Well than, let’s all just move to Japan!” Dean exclaims with a vague gesture of his hands.

His sensei laughs. “Where would be the justice in that? You have been given a sword because you are a fighter, but maybe you don’t need it to fight after all.”

The omega opens his mouth because this is so not the philosophical bullshit he needs to hear right now but he is cut off by the raised hand of his sensei. “Go prepare dinner and think about it.”

Dean makes a face but bows to his teacher and says, ‘hai, sensei’.

It’s another week before he’s told he’s going out with the two eldest as their assistant while Sensei Matsushita assists with the younger performers. Dean knows this is just another lure to try and get him interested in doing the actual work of a taikomochi but he doesn’t let himself get caught up in it. He’s there to move drums, make sure no one looses their precious fans or whatever else it is these prima donnas carry around with them.

It turns out prima donnas are exactly what Jeffery and Andy turn into when they’re out on a job. Jeffrey is quiet when he’s not talking and snippy when he is. Andy complains about everything. Dean brings them lunch but they wont eat most of it because rice makes them bloated. He lays out the kimono like Matsushita tells him too and neither of them want those, they want the other ones but give no descriptions as to which ones.

Dean might yank on everything a bit too hard out of frustration while he’s dressing them. Jeffrey hits him with a fan. Andy tells Jeffrey he’s acting like a bitch in heat. 

“Y’all are driving me to drink,” he mumbles as he ties an elaborate knot into Jeffrey’s obi. Jeffrey hits him with the fan again. 

He has been instructed to dress similarly to the sensei in blacks and greys as to not draw attention to himself. He’s getting the black hooded haori on when Sensei Matsushita approaches him and hands him a large box. Upon opening it, he sees that it’s filled with smaller boxes containing carefully decorated rice cakes. 

“Tonight we let everyone know we’re accepting bids on Andy’s mizuage,” he states. “He’ll need these throughout the night to give to the guests.”

Andy glares at him like it’s his fault. Maybe this wasn’t their normal demeanor when they were working, perhaps this was Andy reacting to his body being put up on an auction block and Jeffrey remembering when it had happened to him. Dean looks at them sympathetically but they both scoff and exit the dressing room, leaving Dean to scramble to get all their things together.

The complete one-eighty of their attitudes should not surprise Dean, they are essentially actors, but the way Jeffrey turns sultry and Andy goes comedic is something to be seen. Both act like they are so pleased to see every single one they come in contact with. Jeffrey shoos him away which is fine, he is supposed to be staying close to Andy, placing the red boxes in his hand when he turns to him. 

The first couple of guys seem nice enough. They approach each one separately, Dean staying back three paces like if he was with someone other than an omega. Andy seems to have this knack for telling the men exactly what they want to hear and as he passes them the boxes he makes it seem like each one is the one he wants to win the auction.

Something shifts when they’re approached by an older balding man that seems too gracious to be sincere. Andy makes polite conversation for a few minutes, never once asking for the token box or indicating he wants it any way. When the older man actually holds his hands out Dean can tell that Andy doesn’t want to give him the box.

He almost doesn’t hand it over. Dean wants to yell at the smarmy prick to fuck off and live the kid alone but he doesn’t. He looks away as he lets the box drop into Andy’s hand. Now that he has the prize the asshole leaves and it’s only then that Dean realizes he was holding his breath.

“So that dude gave me the heebs and the jeebs,” he whispers at the side of Andy’s hood as they watch him walk towards the next room where the younger ones are performing. Dean shudders, he’s probably shopping for the next one.

“Zachariah Adler,” Andy whispers and picks up two drinks off a passing waiter’s tray that was obviously headed for someone else. He hands one to Dean and drains the one in his hand. “He collects mizuages like trinkets for a curio. When he bought Jeffrey’s it was the tenth one that year. He actually travels to collect them.”

With that little bit of information, Dean drains his glass too. He tries not to gag, it’s been a while since he has had booze and that stolen scotch was pretty strong. What should he say to that? He goes with ‘I’m sorry’.

“Its okay.” 

Dean can tell it isn’t. He’s about to relay as much when Andy’s demeanor shifts again but this time for the better. They’re approached by a small alpha in a modern cut suit. Andy nearly rips the box out of the larger one Dean is still holding to hand it off to him. 

“Dean Winchester, this is Samandriel Lehman,” Andy introduces, smiling wider than Dean has ever seen him smile. “Sammy, this is Dean.” 

Sammy, huh? The nickname pains him a little but he grins, close lipped, trying not to seem too proud and gives a bow that the alpha returns. 

“Dean, can you see if Jeffrey needs anything?” ‘Leave now’ is written so clearly on Andy’s face he’s practically projecting it telepathically.

Oh. Dean bows again and excuses himself, heading in Jeffrey’s direction but keeping an eye on Andy. When he sees the way Andy takes the alpha’s hand and leads him away he smiles and chucks the remainder of the rice cakes in the nearest trashcan. 

Instinct tells Dean he can trust Samandriel but he keeps poking his head around to see that the Adler douche isn’t pestering them. If Samandriel is who Andy wants, Dean will help him because he’ll be damned if he will just sit back and not let someone without any freedoms control their own destiny where they can. Maybe Andy will return the favor one day for him.

Dean kicks himself mentally. There won’t be a favor to return because he’s not selling his virginity and he’s not going to be claimed and mated. He’s got his job with his dumb uniform and his numb fingers from tying knots in obis. Nothing is going to change for him because he’s content. He’d like a lot more freedom but he’ll always justify it with the fact that he’d have a job doing the exact same thing in a restaurant or hotel.

Jeffrey is relaying some story that has four alphas leaning around the table to listen to but Dean doesn’t care. He’s heard it before, hell he helped put in some punchlines, so he doesn’t pay much attention, just making sure he’s doing his job by looking between the two of omegas he’s supposed to be looking out for. So when his elbow is grabbed he jumps a bit but immediately bows an offers his apology. 

As he rises his heart sinks. Something had hoped that for whatever reason it would be the blue eyed man, even if he’s been told repeatedly he’s never been seen at any event. Instead he gets the self-satisfied mug of Zachariah Adler. Dean wants to turn tail and head over to Andy but he just gives a forced smile.

“I’ve never seen you before,” Adler says with a wide smile.

“You can see me!” Dean really doesn’t want to talk to this prick but being rude would get him in trouble and reflect badly on the okiya. He clutches his haori lapels dramatically. “I thought I might have died.”

Adler laughs which wasn’t really the intended reaction but at least he can be just a touch rude and have it passed off as humor. He puts his hand on the small of Dean’s back and presses him the few steps to Jeffrey’s table. Normally Dean would have hauled of and hit a guy for touching him but he can hear the drums from the next room and knows that there are kids that are counting on him to not fuck this up for the school.

A drink is placed in front of him, Dean bites his lip hard and steals a glance at Jeffrey. The look the other omega returns is brief but Dean gets the point. Play along. He smiles and wraps his hand around the drink.

“He’s hilarious. I’m glad to see you didn’t infect him with your sour disposition,” Adler jibs and drains his glass. Everyone at the table forces a laugh but the two omegas, everyone but Adler mumbling defenses for Jeffrey. 

“I’m pretty sure there is only one way to transmit a sour disposition and we’re just friends.” Dean shoots Adler an innocent look then drains the glass in front of him. Well it was nice while it lasted, the first time he gets to leave his paper walled prison and he insults someone that’s spent tons of money on the okiya.

To his utter surprise the table erupts with laughter. An alpha at Jeffrey’s side fills Dean’s glass. Wasn’t he supposed to be doing that for them? “So you’ve decided to devout your life to teaching, that’s fascinating.”

Dean eyes the alpha that made the statement and pauses for a moment then grins and drains his glass. “Oh you mean the outfit?” He looks down at the dark robes as if he’s confused. “I’m a sushi chef. Matsushita got confused loading up his car and threw me in there with the rest of the kimonoed omegas.”

Another round of laughter erupts from the table and when Dean looks to see if Adler is laughing all he sees is a balding head making its retreat. He covers his mouth in mock embarrassment. “I’m sorry, was he a member of PETA?”

Jeffrey is sending him a silent look of gratitude but Dean just winks and keeps talking. He might not really know what he’s doing but he can talk a big game and that’s always kept him out of trouble and if it can keep him out of trouble, he can use it to keep the rest of the kids from school safe as well.

They get pretty drunk. The occasion is some sort of awards ceremony for a large corporation and when Jeffrey and Andy have to stand on stage during presentation of the awards, Dean can see Jeffrey starting to teeter. When they’re done and the last ceremony has been done Dean helps herd the younger students up to the hotel. The older omegas post up in the last of the interconnecting rooms but as soon as Dean flops on the bed his nose is hit with an intoxicating smell.

“I smell junk food,” he moans, knowing it has to be some other room or the street below them. “I haven’t had good greasy fast food in forever.”

“It’s in the kid room,” Andy explains and hits Dean’s thigh so he’ll sit up and untie the obi. “Sammy sends it.”

“That’s nice of him,” Dean says and sits up to oblige. It comes off a lot faster than it went on. 

“Well he’s inheriting part of the corporation, they own the hotdog and taco places, some pizza thing.”

“Wiener Hut?” Dean squints at Andy. “You’re falling all over yourself over the Wiener Hut guy?” The look on Andy’s face is priceless.


	6. Chapter 6

The next two weeks are filled with what has become normalcy for Dean. Matsushita is convinced because of his handling of Adler at the party that he’s going to make a great taikomochi. He can’t refuse the training though since he promised to do it for the kids. 

While Andy is at an engagement Dean relabels all of his friend’s drawers and kimono boxes with ‘wiener hut’ in Japanese. He thinks himself pretty hilarious until Andy points out it says ‘knot hovel’ and he used the character for a knot in a rope not a penis.

No morning announcement comes on the usual Thursday of Matsushita’s blue-eyed visitor, leaving Dean to sigh and Andy to whisper he’s going to have assign Dean a nickname of his own. They go about their business as usual and during his unofficial study hall he dozes off on his futon. He is jarred awake by the sound of the bell at the front door. He grumbles and pulls on his hood though he is more upset about being disturbed from the dream he was having in which he was sparring the blue-eyed man in the garden.

He looks at the small clock on his shared dresser. It is just before noon which means lunch should be ready soon. He gets up with newfound enthusiasm. Since no announcement had been made over breakfast it could be that the blue-eyed man had returned unannounced. Dean stands in front of he full-length mirror and smoothens out his hair, which is starting to grow long he notes with a frown, and straightens his kimono, tousled from his accidental nap.

Keeping his ears keen to listen for sounds of the voice he heard over a month ago, Dean slips out of his room and walks quickly to the practice room where Andy and Jeffrey are practicing a dance to a recorded shamisen song. They’re just as perplexed as to who could be calling so Dean ducks back out, apologizing for disturbing them.

He wants to spy, to be accidentally seen though he curses himself for falling into the same dewy-eyed adoration the rest of the okiya has for the blue-eyed man. Dean shrugs it off as his visits really being the most interesting event at the school and heads to the kitchen to see if he can see what’s going on. As he leaves the hall of classrooms and turns towards the communal areas of the house he sees Matsushita coming at him.

“Ah, Dean, just who I was looking for,” he says quietly. “A new student has arrived and he is, as one could imagine, quite scared and tearful. Would you take him and show him around? I have given him a dresser and futon in the dorms. He could use some comforting.”

Dean pulls a face. Helping the kids that were already here was one thing but helping to take a kid from his family, that was asking too much. “That kid ever going to see his parents again?” He doesn’t know what’s worse, getting ripped from your family or them never wanting to see you again.

“I have no reason to think that they will not come to Family Day,” he informs his student with a smile. 

Dean thinks about the fall weather that’s setting in and that his only communication with his brother has been email. He nods and sets his jaw. “I’ll do it.”

“I know,” Sensei smiles, “you didn’t want to give him false hope. His name is Jesse.”

Dean nods again and waits for Matsushita to take the required number of steps before following. The sensei doesn’t step into the small room, so he steps past and bows to the family. It’s the same place where Dean was handed over to the okiya. He tries not to think about it.

“Heya, buddy, you must be Jesse,” he says and ignores the free chair to sit sieza on the floor. “I’m Dean.”

Jesse lifts his hooded head to peer over at the omega sitting on the floor for a second before ducking his head back into his crying mother’s lap. The father is crying too, though more quietly and Dean thinks, yeah, good family, they’ll be back.

“You’re probably afraid you’ll never see them again right?” Dean asks, trying to comfort without being condescending. “Do you know what month it is?”

Jesse shakes his head into his mother’s lap. “It’s August so that means you have just over a month before they can come for family day.”

“That’s right kiddo,” the father says. “We have the schedule for days we can come to the okiya and when there are outside performances.”

The little boy looks up at his father’s face then over to Dean. “Do you want to go see the drums?” Dean asks with a little smile. 

He’s met with a slow, careful nod. “Yeah.” 

“Then let’s go,” he jerks his head towards the door. Jesse carefully starts moving from his mother towards Dean.

“Can they come?” he asks.

Dean shakes his head no. “Sorry, the drums are in a room like a secret clubhouse, parents only get to see them when they’re outside.”

Jesse looks at him skeptically but takes another step forward. Dean rises to standing and offers his hand. “Say goodbye, Jesse and remember just one month.”

His parents are putting on their bravest faces as they murmur their goodbyes. Jesse starts to cry again but is putting his hand in Dean’s own. “Bow and stay brave, buddy,” he insists.

The little omega obeys and allows him to be led into the hall where he starts sobbing as soon as the door is closed. Dean picks him up and squeezes him tight as he walks away. “I’m so sorry little man, really.”

At a loss for what else to do, Dean heads to the drum room, fumbling with the shoji to let them in. Once inside he gets the door shut and sets Jesse down, kneeling so they will be at eye level.

“It’s okay, really, I wouldn’t lie to you,” Dean states. “It sucks, I know it does.”

Jesse falls against him in a hug and buries his face into the shoulder of Dean’s kimono. “Just let it out,” he urges and pets over the back of the child’s hood. They stay like that for several minutes until his tears run out. Dean holds him out at arm’s length and offers a devious smile. “Wanna bang on the drums?”

Jesse nods, more enthusiastically this time and Dean takes his hand to lead him to where the bachi are kept. He selects a small one and hands it to the small omega. “There you go. Go nuts!”

The little boy looks up at Dean as if to ask if he really can so he gives him a nod and a smile. Jesse scampers off heading to the largest drum in the back of the room. He cannot reach its height but he doesn’t let this bother him and reaches up to tap the bachi onto the drum head. Hesitantly, he looks over his shoulder to Dean who gives him a nod. 

Jesse beats on the drum awkwardly but he’s got a smile growing on his face and if it’s bothering anyone Dean figures they can go fuck themselves. He starts rolling differently tuned drums towards the center of the room and gets the stool Matsushita teaches from to place in the middle of them. For the past few months he has been practicing this when he can, though he had never had the intention of playing it for anyone. 

The bell rings in the distance and Dean lets his hood slide from his head and motions for Jesse to join him, assuming it means the boy’s parents have left. 

“Alright, buddy, do you know Iron Butterfly?” Dean asks as he places Jesse on his lap and tests the drums carefully. The five year old shakes his head and Dean laughs. 

“Course you don’t. So, Iron Butterfly wrote a song called In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida, which has a lot of speculation about why it’s called that but the take away point is that it basically started heavy metal.” Jesse looks up at him curiously. “Pay attention kid, this is just as important as the other crap you’re going to learn here.”

He tentatively gives the drums another test before starting on the beat of the song’s tell tale rhythm. Jesse seems pleased with this so he bounces the young omega on his knee in time with the cadence. Dean plays the entirety of the solo then nudges his charge so he will slide off his lap.

“Come on, I’ll show you your room,” he says and reaches out to take his hand.

Jesse starts to reach out and then tucks his arms against his stomach. “I want to go home.”

“This is home now,” Dean says weakly, “and we’re going to be your family. So that makes me your big brother. You have a lot of big brothers now, but I’m the biggest.”

The little boy seems to be blocking everything out and is curling in on himself so Dean picks him up easily and gets out of the drum room to head towards the dormitory for the younger children. “You know I’m not always going to be here to carry you around like this,” he teases.

Jesse buries his face in Dean’s side and shrugs. Dean shakes his head and places the little boy down when he he’s at the dorm. “This is it, you’ll share it with five other kids. Come on let’s get you dressed.”

“I am dressed,” the small omega says and clenches his face.

“No dressed like me,” he smiles and points Jesse to a small low dresser with a bag on it. “Is that yours?”

Jesse nods and runs over, unzipping his bag and pulling out a picture frame with his family and a tiny superhero action figure.

“Here, we’ll put that on your dresser and Iron Man can watch over your family.”

Jesse nods then looks around curiously. “Where are the beds?”

“In the closet, we pull them out each night.”

“Your socks are funny.” Jesse’s face is still streaked with tears but he’s not actively crying any more.

Dean looks at his feet and wiggles his toes. “They are but they’re samurai socks so I’m okay with it.” He pulls out a set of clothing from the dresser drawer and starts manipulating Jesse out of his robe.

“What’s that?” He helpfully slides his arms through the hooded yukata and looks up at Dean with eagerness on his face.

“A samurai? They’re the guys with the swords.”

“Like Deadpool?”

“Um, kind of.” Dean laughs. “You really like comic books.”

“Dad said he’d bring me some every time he came to see me,” Jesse states brightly as Dean lifts him up to sit on the edge of the dresser so he can pull on the tabi and button them up the back. “Feels funny.”

“You’ll get used to it.” He places Jesse back on the floor and starts wrapping the obi around the little boy’s middle. “Watch me buddy, this isn’t the easiest thing to do.”

The small omega gives Dean his undivided attention and smiles up at his new older brother. “Got that?” Dean asks as he turns the sash so the knot is in the back. Jesses smiles even wider and shakes his head in an emphatic no. The larger omega laughs harder and tousles his hair. “Well you got a while to learn. Want to go see the fish?”

Jesse gives him another enthusiastic nod. Dean helps the little boy down and takes his hand. As they walk, the older omega rattles off what he knows about the okiya, pausing to show him the room he shares with Andy and Jeffrey, and where the bathrooms are. He’s making his way to the tearoom when he sees one of his roommates headed towards him.

“What are you doing?” Andy hisses at Dean, his hood up, tea ceremony and lunch trays in his hands.

“Showing Jesse the garden,” Dean shrugs as he pulls his hood on then throws the little boy’s own over his blond locks. “Are his parents still here?”

“No, he’s here,” he gives a pointed look towards the shoji.

“Oh,” Dean’s eyes widen with surprise. “But sensei never said to stay out of the garden.”

“Something is wrong with him.” Andy frowns and looks down at the tray. “He was using a cane and his arm is in a sling. The students are already taking recess outside.”

“Is he okay?”

“I don’t know, let me do my job and I can tell you later,” Andy rolls his eyes, moving past them to set down the tray and kneel by the shoji. He makes a dismissive motion with his hand causing Dean to scrunch up his face in dissatisfaction. When it’s clear his friend will not open the door until they are gone, he takes Jesse’s hand and guides him towards the exit to the garden.

Dean introduces Jesse to his dorm roommates and as promised shows him the koi pond. The other students take to Jesse immediately and he is soon pulled away from Dean’s side to go play, leaving the older omega to go sit next to Ellen. Unconsciously he finds himself looking to the shoji that separates the tearoom from the garden. 

“I don’t know so don’t ask,” Ellen says when she traces Dean’s line of sight to the door. “But he was well enough to come for his visit so it can’t be that bad.”

“That transparent, huh?” Dean folds his hands in his lap and watches the children stage play fights near one end of the pond, a group of pre-teens practicing fan dances near the other. “In my defense there isn’t much else to entertain myself.” He steals another glance. “Are you going to tell me anything?”

“He comes here to spar kendo, Dean, staring at a door wistfully isn’t going to get his attention,” Ellen states.

“I need to be more aggressive,” Dean guesses.

“I was going to suggest direct.” Ellen checks her watch and takes a whistle from her pocket to call the end to recess. “You and Jesse missed lunch, go get something from the kitchen and then bring him to my math class.”

Dean agrees and goes to collect Jesse from the line of students. After showing him his shoe cubby, he takes him in through the door to the kitchen and finds that the dishes have been left for him to do. Great. He gets both of them some noodles and finds a stool for Jesse to sit on while he eats. 

Jesse struggles with the chopsticks so Dean gets him a trainer pair, his own first hungry day here fresh in his mind. He’s showing him the pinch motion when he hears voice in the hall coming slowly towards the kitchen. Dean uses the reflection of the window to make sure that the hood is on only as much to be polite and picks up his own bowl of noodles.

With the layout of the okiya when they say their goodbyes they will be right in front of the door to the kitchen. There is no way Matsushita and his guest won’t notice the two omegas in the kitchen. Especially if they’re talking.

“Alright buddy, now pick up the noodles and dip them in the sauce.” Dean talks evenly, knowing his voice will carry. “Now you get to slurp them up.” He makes an exaggerated noise as he sucks the noodles into his mouth. It gets the reaction that he was going for, laughter. Jesse tries just as Matsushita and the blue-eyed man walk in front of the kitchen door.

Dean looks up at them and gives them a little smile as he wipes an errant bit of sauce from Jesse’s nose. The blue-eyed man is in another black suit, tan trench coat thrown over his shoulder since his arm is in a sling and leaning on a cane. He looks right at Dean and gives the tiniest of bows before Matsushita holds the front door open for him and he steps out.


	7. Chapter 7

The night that Andy goes on the auction block Dean is instructed to sit in the receiving room and wait for people to bring their bids while the rest of the household continues as normal. He brings a book and a big pot of tea and takes advantage of having a couch by curling up on it, ready for a long night.

No one is allowed past the schoolrooms tonight except for him so it’s uncomfortably quiet up in the front room. When the doorbell rings he gets up and pulls his hood on, actually making sure it hides all of his features this time, hoping that he won’t be recognized just in case he has to do something extreme to prevent Andy from falling into Adler’s hands. 

He wordlessly accepts the envelope from the man with a bow. The alpha says nothing either but Dean remembers him from the table with Jeffrey. Dean heads back to the receiving room and sits, putting the envelope on the coffee table and picking up his book. 

After just a few paragraphs he looks at the envelope, curiosity at knowing just what an omega’s virginity went for getting the better of him. He picks it up and holds it up to the lamp on the side table, squinting to see if he can see a monetary amount. To his surprise there is already a check in the envelope, but the lined parchment makes it difficult to see what is written on it.

Dean tilts it back and forth, trying to glean some number. After a bit of maneuvering he finally gets the light to hit right and sees the dollar amount. His eyes go wide and he drops his hands to his lap, looking around the room with his mouth open. 

Ten thousand dollars. Some random guy that had no real connection to an omega was willing to pay ten thousand dollars to take his virginity. Dean closes his mouth with a snap of teeth. Holy shit. What would Samandriel be willing to pay, or Adler for that matter?

Over the course of the next thirty minutes he takes envelopes from various men or what has to be their servants. One envelope is from the chief financial officer of Honda, the other a lawyer for the company that makes the rice cooker in the kitchen. Now that Dean thinks about it, it makes sense. Those were huge companies, having offices here in America made sense and the Japanese that came over wanted the some sense of home here. At that awards ceremony he hadn’t thought anything of seeing Asian features because America was a melting pot or hearing Japanese because of the type of school they went to, even the blue eyed man apologized in Japanese.

“Huh,” Dean says to an empty room just as the doorbell rings again. He gets up and slides on the sandals to get the door, grinning widely when he sees Samandriel’s face.

“Have there been a lot?” The alpha’s voice sounds thick with worry as he holds out the envelope with both hands. Dean really wants this guy to win. He bets they mate off after, he bets the guy treats Andy like a king.

“Six,” he replies and takes the proffered envelope. “That makes you seven.” He taps the envelope against his palm. “You’re lucky in both cultures.”

“Let’s hope so.” Samandriel chews his lip. Behind him there’s a very expensive looking Mercedes. “He’s sequestered isn’t he?”

Dean nods and gives him a sympathetic look. “Everyone but me. I’ll tell him you asked about him though.”

Samandriel tries to look brave and straightens his posture a bit more. “Thank you, Dean,” he says and bows.

Dean returns the bow and winks at the alpha as he rises. “I got this.” Samandriel looks a little confused but Dean shuts the door and heads back into the front room. He’ll eat Adler’s check if he has to, that arrogant bastard isn't getting anywhere near his friend.

He beelines right for the lamp and holds the envelope up, mouth falling open at the amount he sees. That was insane. There is no way anyone would ever beat that amount. He places the envelope down and stares at the wall until the next time the doorbell rings.

Dean receives a check from a Japanese man that speaks his greeting and thanks in Japanese. He’s about to close the door but another car is pulling into the lot so he waits, squinting into the headlights and thinking it rude that they didn’t pull through so the light wasn’t shining on him.

A harried looking woman in a maid’s uniform gets out of the cheap car and heads over to him, holding out the check with one hand and not looking at him. She doesn’t speak and as soon as he’s taken the check she turns and heads back to the car. Dean doesn’t even have to look at the envelope and know who it’s from. 

Part of him wants to destroy it right then and there but he doesn’t. Instead he heads inside and goes to the lap to hold up the envelope. Sure enough Zachariah Adler’s name is in the address portion of the check. Bastard couldn’t even be bothered to deliver his own bid. Dean looks at the monetary portion and grins. It’s high, but it’s not nearly as high as Samandriel’s.

He looks at the clock and sees that it’s five minutes after ten, the time that Matsushita had said closed the bidding. He stacks everything on the tray and heads to Matsushita’s office where he knows Andy and their teacher will be waiting. 

Andy looks up expectantly from his lap when Dean steps in and brings the tray to Matsushita’s desk. He tries not to look at the photographs of the blue-eyed man as he passes off the envelopes. A dismissal never comes so he goes to sit next to Andy while their teacher goes through the envelopes. Adler’s is on top and he thinks Andy is going to cry when he hears Matsushita call out thirty thousand dollars. Dean rubs a hand over his back but doesn’t say anything. 

The rest of the amounts are called out and Dean thinks that now the ten thousand dollar amount seems piddly, knowing what Samandriel has paid. When Matsushita picks up the last envelope Dean nudges his friend in the ribs gently and gets ready for the squeal.

“From Mr. Lehman, fifty thousand dollars,” their sensei announces and sets the rest of the checks to the side. “Be prepared a week from tomorrow. You are both dismissed.”

Dean finds himself with an armful of happy Andy and laughs and hugs back. They compose themselves to bow to their instructor and get up to head back to their dorm where Jeffrey is waiting for them. He looks grumpier than usual but asks who won. At the answer he simply says ‘that’s nice’ and rolls over in his futon, pulling the blanket up over his head.

Andy and Dean exchange looks and undress for bed without speaking, understanding what Jeffrey is going through. Dean is glad he’ll never be subjected to this because he knows if Adler won his he’d either be arrested on assault charges or raped. He gets in his own futon and blinks up in the dark after Andy turns off the light.

The only person to not deliver their bid in person was Adler, unless another alpha delivered it but he didn’t think that was likely. From what he’s read, Dean knows it’s respectful for the bidder himself to deliver his bid on the mizuage, which means the blue-eyed man didn’t bid. So he doesn’t go out but has been in Japan and a countless other places with Matsuhitsa. He practices an ancient sword fighting technique and is pretty damn good at it. 

Then there was the injury. Car wreck? Saving children from a burning building? Whatever it was Dean bets it was dramatic. He bets the blue-eyed man didn’t express any pain as someone tended to his wounds, all stoic and brave. Someone got to touch him while he was vulnerable, saw tanned flesh speckled with blood. Dean's entire body flushes with arousal.

“You’re a fucking moron,” he says out loud in the dark to himself and turns over to bury his face in his pillow. “I meant me,” he mumbles, wanting neither Jeffrey nor Andy to think he meant them.

“I know,” they say in unison.

***

Because he’s not a diva taikomochi like Jeffrey and Andy, Dean has to get up in the early hours and start his chores. They grumble and tell him to hurry as he gathers his robes for the day. The one great thing about rooming with them is not having to roll up the futon every morning since the superstars lounged about most of the day.

He showers and dresses in the dark grey and black kimono. The weather is getting cooler so the summer cotton has been backed away and replaced with wool and silk. Dean wipes the condensation of the mirror and looks at himself. He was slightly bleary eyed from his early wake up but he didn’t look tired any more.

As a teenager on the run he always looked tired, bags under his eyes and a little dehydrated because his father let him drink. Now he looks healthy and he should. Even waking up at four thirty to make breakfast for fifty kids he’s getting enough sleep and he doesn’t sleep scared. Dean can’t list a single day before coming here that he has had three meals a day, all of which some nutritional value. 

He runs a hand through his hair. Matsushita had trimmed it the other day. Dean sighs as he picks up his toothbrush. Literally all of his needs were being met and he had no place to go. He had a job. Sometimes he was a teacher. This wasn’t him going belly up for anyone. At least he’s convinced himself of that.

Now that he’s taken over the kitchen there is a little radio on the windowsill over the sink. Dean never asked for it. It just appeared a few weeks after he had been brought there. Every morning after the water was brought in and the rice cookers were going he listened to music then switched the station to news. He guesses a part of him wants to hear if his dad gets arrested but he knows that a small time crook that probably burned down a house wasn’t going to get airtime. 

This time it’s a terrorist organization taking responsibility in an embassy bombing. The San Diego Zoo’s panda is pregnant. Some movie made an obscene amount of money. It’s stupid but it’s comforting to know he’s not completely cut off from the real world.

Two of the middle school aged students head in to help Dean cart everything into the dining hall. They’re set to debut next year. It’s bittersweet. They’re moving on, maturing, but what does that maturity mean for an omega?

At that party there had been no mated omegas but there had been wives. Andy said sometimes they were the ‘other’, the ones that rich alphas kept on the side while married to a respectable female. Dean will have to ask if that was due to the rareness of their conditions or if it’s because there just happened to be none that night.

Jeffrey never shows up for breakfast but Andy looks pleased as he eats. Dean wonders if that amount is some sort of record and what Adler paid for Jeffrey’s. Now that he thinks about it, it’s a lot of money but not when the overhead of caring for fifty children is considered. He’s taken in the food delivery for the week as part of his chores. Dollar amounts of four to five thousand dollars were not unusual. 

It’s not until after lunch that Dean sees Jeffrey again. He smells of stale liquor and his eyes are glassy, his movements stunted. “You’re such a good friend, Dean,” he says sweetly and picks up an uneaten plate of chicken teriyaki, sniffs it, then tosses it on the counter. It bounces and spills it’s contents on the counter, streaking it with sauce. Dean flinches, wondering what Jeffrey is getting at.

“I wish you had been here to protect me from Adler when my mizuage was up for grabs,” he says and takes a step forward. Dean rolls his shoulders and stands his ground.

“Adler lost fair and square,” he responds. For a split second Jeffrey seems surprised but keeps up his act.

“I’m sure he did.”

“No, really,” Dean urges, not wanting one of his only friends to think he wouldn’t do the same for him. “Samandriel outbid him by twenty thousand dollars. Believe me if I had been here for yours I would have burned the check Adler sent for you, eaten it, something.”

Jeffrey glares at Dean for a moment before his expression goes soft. “I had thought I could teach here after going for more training in Japan. Seems an unpedigreed and inexperienced criminal is going to get that honor.”

So there it was, now that Jeffrey had nothing to complain about concerning the mizuage he was going to get to the root of his real issue. Dean throws up his hands and laughs. It was so stupid for Jeffrey to think that Dean was anything but a servant.

“I’m the one doing dishes, I’m not a threat to you. I work here, you dance or whatever and apparently get to drink at noon. If anyone is going to inherit teaching it’s going to be you.” 

If Dean looks confused it’s because he honestly is. They had been friends, Jeffrey had taught him things, why was he turning on him now? “Look, Jeff, go get some sleep, you’re drunk or hungover. I would be too. You got…” Dean was about to say shafted but decides that is not the word to use right now. “A raw deal and it sucks. But you’re going to go to Japan and put all the rest of them to shame and then you’re going to come back here and teach kids and I’ll still be doing dishes.”

Jeffrey considers Dean then turns to walk off. “Matsushita is right, you’d be an excellent taikomochi. You’re even placating to me.” With that the other omega is gone and Dean is left bewildered at the sudden change in demeanor. 

He had stood up for Jeffrey in front of Adler, made jokes and tried to take the pressure off of his friend. Did Jeffrey see that as him stealing the show and what else was Matsushita saying when he wasn’t there to hear it? Dean scrubs the counter that Jeffrey had dirtied and tries not to think about how he has to share space with someone that apparently now hated him.

There may be some truth to Jeffrey’s accusations because Matsushita ramps up his lessons. After all the kendo and drum practice of the day he can barely cut up the meat and veggies for stew, his arms are so sore. His legs don’t fair much better and he has to concentrate very hard that he doesn’t fall with a thud when he goes to kneel for dinner. 

Jeffrey is gone for that too but no one mentions it until he’s in the library sending an email to Sam about upcoming family day. Andy plops down next to him and looks at the screen briefly. 

“Dean is not a geisha at gmail?” He looks at Dean then shakes his head, laughing. “You’re a dork.”

“Dork yes, geisha no.” Dean grins back, pleased with himself that Andy found it funny. When Sam had first seen is he had sent Dean a longwinded email explaining that taikomochi were different and he should be proud. To which Dean had just replied that he kind of knew since he was living it.

Andy knows better than to explain it and gets to the point. “You experienced Jeffrey’s mood swings. In a couple of days he’ll be your friend again.”

Dean just nods and hopes that’s the case.

“When he’s working, stay out of his way, okay? I didn’t know what was going on at the table until he told me today that you had completely upstaged him.”

Dean opens his mouth to say something but Andy waves him off. “I know, you were just trying to help. Just don’t, okay? In a couple of months he’ll be in Japan and I’ll…”

“Be married to Samandriel?” Dean bites his lip and hopes Samandriel isn’t already married. He grins broadly when Andy ducks his head and blushes. Awesome. After all this, he deserved some happiness. Andy goes serious but Dean can tell it’s a façade.

“Which is why you need to start taking this seriously.” Andy pushes Dean’s shoulder. Dean pulls an unimpressed face. He has been taking this seriously, he's been working his ass off.

“The next couple are ready to start, your uncomfortable ass geta will be filled.” Dean smirks but drops it when Andy pushes him again.

“And with us gone they’ll have no older brother to look up to and show them the ropes. Seriously Dean, for them, at least.”

He presses his lips together. "There weren't any omegas out that night. When you run off and get married to Weiner Hut, will he put you up in the ivory tower or you gonna come out and see the next crop of fan dancers."

Andy shakes his head. "It was widely known that my mizuage would be announced that night, it's not something many omegas want to be reminded of. But I'll come see you, I promise until..." He holds his hands out in front of his belly, cupped towards himself, making Dean laugh. "But please Dean, Matsushita doesn't let anyone give us any grief but the younger kids could use someone like you to show them what its' like to be strong and preserve your sense of self in your acceptance of what's been handed to you."

Dean purses his lips, expression like he is going to refuse. "Yeah. Okay."


	8. Chapter 8

Jeffrey is quiet for the next couple of days. He pretends to sleep when both Dean and Andy are in the room or avoids them completely. Because of this Andy follows Dean around, grumbling about missing valuable practice time before an equinox festival and only minimally helping Dean with his chores. 

“You know I could help you practice if you freed up some of my time by actually helping me,” Dean quips while he scrubs out the rice cooker pots after Andy sighs heavily from his spot in the corner of the kitchen for what seems to be the millionth time. 

“I can’t ruin my hands,” Andy protests but grabs an apron and an old obijime to figure eight around his shoulders and tuck the sleeves of his kimono into. Dean narrows his eyes at him and holds up his own gloved hands then fishes out a pair from under the sink for Andy to use. His friend picks up a scrub brush and starts working on one of the other rice cooker inserts. Frankly, he’s terrible at it but at least he’s trying.

“So does this mean I can teach you how to dance?” Andy studies the pot, deems it free of residue, and hangs in on the rack over the row of cookers. 

“No!” Dean hangs one as well and starts on the little bowls and plates. He’s sick of this argument. “Just if you need help, with something.” He has no clue how he would help but there is probably something.

“The whole point is that Jeffrey dances with me. I need someone to dance with me.” He shakes the water off several sets of chopsticks and sets them aside. “Maybe there is a way to incorporate katana with the fans.”

“Yeah cause throwing a katana around in a room full of drunk, rich alphas is a good idea,” he snorts. Andy playfully elbows him in the ribs. “Doesn’t matter because I’m not a taikomochi and if I ever do get to go out again it will be as your servant. It’s not a waltz anyway, it’s spinning a fan around your head, a solo act. What do you need Jeffrey for?”

“Timing,” Andy replies flatly. “I thought you were going to start taking this seriously for the kids. Proctoring study hall and random chores isn’t taking this seriously.”

“Sure it is,” he mumbles and puts the last of the dishes on the rack to dry then tends to the counters. He does more than babysit and clean, he helps dress them in their fancy kimonos, mends costumes, gives scared little boys pep talks. He’s been doing a lot more and everyone else needs to lay off.

Once finished with the dishes, he snaps off his gloves and shoves them back in their place but leaves his sleeves tied back with the tasuki. He’s got floors to clean today as well. Which means he should probably get the gloves back out. Dean sighs and holds out his hands for the gloves Andy was using. “I forgot I have to mop and wax the floors.”

“How about this, you go get your sword and let us teach you something and Andy and I will help you with the floors after.” 

Both Andy and Dean jerk their heads in the direction of the door and see Jeffrey leaning casually against the jamb, arms folded over his wide obi. Dean bites his lips together. This might be Jeffrey’s way of apologizing. Or he could waste a bunch of time fiddling with a sword and get stuck cleaning into the night.

“Matsushita wants it hand buffed because family day is this weekend,” he counters, his arms folding over his chest in defiance. 

“Fine,” Jeffrey says casually and turns to head off.

“Come on,” Andy says and unties his sleeves and the apron. “If he backs out I’ll at least help. Meet us in the practice room that isn’t being used.”

Dean frowns and balks but pulls of the tasuki and apron and heads to the practice room. He feels stupid, this is stupid. Jeffrey is already there, going through some records in the cabinet. This was a bad idea. Cleaning floors alone was better than this.

“On second thought just show us what you got,” Jeffrey commands in that overly sweet tone that he was using in the kitchen when he accused Dean of helping Andy avoid Adler. It throws Dean for a loop but he nods and heads to the wall where the fans and sword is kept. Jeffrey and Andy sit sieza close to the cabinet with the records and player, watching him.

The sword is behind the sliding screen and Dean removes it reverently. There is a blue cord hanging from the hilt. He looks over at his friends shyly, hoping that they don’t figure out why he put it there.

“The only way you have a shot at meeting him is to train as a taikomochi,” Jeffrey says. Well there went that.

“You said you’ve never seen him out, there is literally no shot.” Dean makes a loop in the obi and slides the katana’s sheath into it then steps into the center of the room.

“I think if I was an unmated alpha that ate lunch at an okiya every other week and practiced kendo and I heard about the mysterious taikomochi that danced with swords I’d start going out,” Andy says with a laugh.

“I’m not dancing!” Dean can feel himself go red. “It’s kata and it’s designed to cut a dude in half, not flirt like some messed up bird mating dance.”

“The mysterious, older taikomochi with the troubled past.” Jeffrey snaps open a fan and holds it to his forehead as if in distress then lowers it slowly. 

“Are we forgetting that I have a sword?” Dean huffs indignantly and waits for his friends to stop giggling behind their fans and look at him. They oblige and he withdraws the sword slowly and holds it out with both hands then lowers himself into a squat.

“Is that how you bow in kendo? It looks like you’re taking a dump,” Jeffrey teases but shuts up when Dean lunges and swings one handed, dropping almost to one knee before backing back off again.

“Sword,” he growls through gritted teeth.

That shuts them up and he’s able to get through every kata he knows without interruption. He’s sweating a little when he’s finished and doesn’t like the way that his friends are looking at him. They look like they're up to something, and that they are very amused by it.

“What?” Dean wipes his forehead on his sleeve and breathes deep.

“Do it again,” Jeffrey says and looks at Andy then gets up to place the needle on the record and get in place behind and to the side of Dean.

“All of it?” His thighs are twitching they’re so worn out and he probably doesn’t look very attractive right now, not something Matsushita would want to parade around at his little parties.

“All of it,” Andy chimes in and takes his spot.

Dean has no idea what’s going on behind him and the recorded shamisen music isn’t something that he’d ever listen to while practicing kata. He wishes the practice room with the mirrors had been available so he could see what they’re doing. Soon the kata calls for him to turn instead of backing up and he can tell that Andy and Jeffrey are doing whatever it is that they do but that they're mimicking his movements with the sword. He shakes his head slightly but keeps going. 

The record ends before Dean is finished going through all the movements but he finishes the last and drops to his knees with a heavy sigh. “You realize we have to do floors now right?”

He pushes his fists into the floor and uses them to turn around so he’s facing Andy and Jeffrey then sits back on his heels. “You happy? It was stupid, no one would ever want to see that and I don’t ever want to be put on display.” 

Jeffrey and Andy share a knowing look then shrug. “Because no one that practices a sport ever watches someone else do it,” Andy says and gets up to put their fans away. Dean follows after to store the katana.

“You know what I’m getting at,” Dean protests as he tucks the blue cord under the hilt and closes the screen. “No one wants to see an oversized omega practice kata and call it dance. Alphas want to see something delicate, not something that can take their head off.”

“Because you know what alphas want,” Jeffrey retorts as he puts away the record and turns off the player.

“I used to rob them blind, I know what they think they want,” Dean parries right back, folding his arms over his chest. 

“Just listen to us, okay? We should show Matsushita…” Andy starts

“No!” Dean cuts him off and storms out the practice room. This wasn’t happening, this was just his job. He cooked and cleaned and tended to children for exchange of a roof over his head and three squares a day.

He heads to the service foyer and gets on his apron and tasuki then makes up his cleaning solution. This was dumb, he was dumb. His fascination with the blue-eyed man was purely out of boredom, he had no grandiose ideas about being courted or getting married. Dean knew what he was, an omega to the most literal meaning. Last. He picks up the heavy wooden bucket and heads out the foyer into the kitchen, stopping when he sees Jeffrey and Andy tying back their sleeves and putting on aprons. 

“Get the dishwashing gloves,” he mutters as he heads past to the rear of the building to start.

Because his friends have literally been trained in when to shut up they clean in silence. It does go much faster with three people. They’re finished long before dinner, leaving Dean ample time to go to the library and check his email.

It feels so strange sitting in a kimono and checking his email on a nice, fairly new computer. Juxtaposition, that was the word. Dean grins at himself for remembering that and clicks around until he can sign into his email. There is only one person he talks to and he’s happy to see that the conversation he’s been having with Sam is highlighted. 

Dean makes a victorious noise. Sam is coming to family day and bringing his friend that he lives with as well. That makes him a little uneasy but he gets why, this will be the first time they’ve seen each other since the prison, having someone to hang out with if their meeting goes badly will be nice, even if their email conversations have been going well.

He sends back an email saying that he’s excited because being the only one without family would be downright embarrassing and he misses him. It’s the truth, now that he knows that he has family he feels lonely. Dean signs out of his account and gets up to head to the kitchen.

Matsushita is already there, setting out plates and cups. Dean shoots him an odd look but doesn’t say anything.

“Not sure what you did to make Jeffrey hand buff floors but if you could get him to cooperate in his other duties I’d appreciate it,” he muses as he pulls out stacks of cloth napkins that Dean had folded carefully the day previous. “I received a phone call from Mr. Lehman, looks like we’re off the hook for dinner.”

“Sweet,” Dean says with a smile, not acknowledging the Jeffrey comment. “So Andy gets a husband and we all get pizza, everyone is a winner.” He doesn’t know what to do with himself now that he has no kitchen duties so he picks at a thread on one of the napkins and stands there awkwardly. Tomorrow was laundry day, great. “Hey, you should make it movie night, busy weekend coming up, they need a distraction.”

“Why don’t you go let down the projection screen and pick something out.” Matsushita is smiling at him like he knows more about the floor scrubbing than he lets on but Dean guesses that’s to be expected.

“Thanks, sensei,” he replies cheerfully and leaves to do just that.

Dean puts on Star Wars because it’s good for all ages and there is speculation that Obi Wan was meant to be an omega because he puts a hood up in some scenes. Plus now that he thinks about it the Jedi costumes looked so much like the Japanese traditional clothing that they wore. 

He’s putting the DVD in the player connected to the projector when he has his epiphany. His whole life he wanted to be Han Solo, the guy with the cool gun and gets the princess but now…

“I’m a frigging Jedi,” he announces to the room then quickly looks over his shoulder to make sure that no one else had come in. No, he was a hooded omega with a sword, he was being taught to tell what alphas were thinking. Which after seeing the way Andy and Jeffrey play alphas is kind of like a mind trick. Okay, he is totally a Jedi. Well his friends were. Were there ronin Jedi?

The front door bell rings so Dean puts on his hood and stops coming up with all the reasons he is a Jedi. He stands off to the side, thumbs hooked together behind his hands in front of him, gaze down. A delivery guy and the sensei come into the dining hall carrying high stacks of boxes.

“Take them from him,” Matsushita says curtly and sets his stack down before turning around to leave again. Dean walks forward but the guy looks around his stack of boxes freaking squeaks and drops them on the dining table before running out. 

“Okay,” Dean says to the empty room and goes to get the plates and napkins. He heads back in behind the delivery driver, who is just standing there looking around the room. Dean clears his throat, causing the man to jump.

“Sorry,” he mumbles and wrings his hands, staring at Dean now that he has turned around.

“It’s okay, do you need any more help?”

“Uh, no.” The deliveryman stumbles over low dining table and ends up jumping over it in order to make his exit, walking the last few steps backwards and looking at Dean with wide eyes. He stumbles again and Dean has to laugh because as he is now, he is absolutely no threat, just what was this dude’s problem.

“You seem to captivate everyone you meet,” Matsushita states, sounding amused, as he comes into the dining room. The front door bell rings again, signaling the man’s exit and Dean pushes back the hood then soothes his hands over the lapels to make everything lay straight.

“That dude looked like he had seen a ghost.” Dean snorts, thinking of when he had screwed with Adler. He goes to the sideboard and gets the small bell to ring.

“You underestimate yourself,” Matsushita counters and looks like he wants to say something more but only nods in response to the bell. Dean rings it a few times, the sound of children heading down the freshly waxed halls filling the okiya shortly after.

Andy seems please at tonight’s offerings and rightfully so. Samandriel had won the bid but still felt it necessary to treat the entirety of the school. Sure it wasn’t fine dining but kids liked pizza and from their excited chatter they were happy to see it. As soon as the din is down to a dull roar Dean starts the movie and grabs a plate, heading to his usual spot near Jeffrey and Andy.

For the first time in a very long time, Dean has what can be described as fun. He explains why they are totally Jedi and gets made fun of for being a nerd but it’s light hearted. When he tells them about the odd behavior of the deliveryman Jeffrey and Andy exchange knowing looks and laugh along.

The students just under Jeffrey and Andy have clean up duty so Dean gets to watch the end of the movies with his friends. Jesse makes his way over and curls up next to him, head on Dean’s lap. Bed time is called at the end of the movie and while his friends get to go get in bed, Dean helps corral the students to go brush their teeth before getting out their futons. He gets in bed exhausted but content and hopes the week goes by slowly before his busy weekend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll call this chapter world building instead of filler. Cas is coming back very soon I promise. In the mean time, here have some visual representations of what I might describe in the final edit.
> 
> The driveway up to the okiya: http://daitao.tumblr.com/post/72168025931/by-stuck-in-customs
> 
> Front of the okiya: http://daitao.tumblr.com/post/58254756325/by-masaru
> 
> Kendo kata: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQX8dnEgHZs
> 
> What a traditional fan dance looks like when performed by a male: http://youtu.be/iVtHIq3N0N4 You can even see the huge taiko in the background.
> 
> A Tasuki is a ribbon or cord you use to tie up the wide sleeves of traditional Japanese clothes. http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wDglYWLneV0/ToqWo8k3e1I/AAAAAAAAA0k/qHE5WvI5SGA/s1600/2478443.jpg


	9. Chapter 9

It takes Dean approximately twenty minutes to dress the younger children. It takes him over an hour each to dress Andy and Jeffrey. He didn’t think that hand cramps were something that he could actually get but here he was, sitting sieza in the middle of the practice room with the mirrors and getting the third child dressed for family day. 

Andy is helping, Jeffrey is unsurprisingly missing, and Jesse is crying because he didn’t want to be the caterpillar in the play he wanted to be the butterfly. Dean gives the little a hug before he tells him to man up and that caterpillars were better because they got to play in the dirt but butterflies had to be really careful because they might break their wings.

“Look at Ben, see how uncomfortable he looks,” Dean whispers into Jesse’s ear as he does the black obi in a simple knot. Jesse looks at the other boy having to hold his arms up and out so the furisode sleeves don’t get in the way of Andy’s elaborate job on the obi. He nods and chokes back his sob, putting on his brave face as he looks in the mirror. “That’s it, buddy, now where do you want your spots?”

Jesse’s kimono is simple and grey but he has rounds of red silk to be pinned because apparently caterpillars have spots. Dean isn’t sure he’s ever seen one in real life. Jesse point to various places and Dean obliges him, carefully pinning the circles to the little boy. Topping off the costume is a broad wicker hat that Dean had fixed up to look like bug head, complete with antenna and white fabric eyes. 

Dean thumps Jesse on his obi and tells him to get lost to which the little boy immediately complies, antenna bobbing as he moves off.

“The hats are adorable,” Andy compliments as he helps Ben tie up his sleeve so he can goof off better before the play for their parents. Dean just shrugs it off because they’re nothing special. He’d had fun making them with the younger kids.

The students are milling around, waiting for their big brothers to get dressed. Jeffrey finally makes his appearance, carrying the large kimono boxes, and snapping at the children to get out of his way. They obey but crowd back together when he’s through, wanting to see the spectacle that is getting the two senior taikomochi into their kimono.

Jeffrey insists that Andy goes first which seems like he is being nice but in reality it’s harder to maneuver in the extravagant layers they wear. Andy sighs and gets up, undoing his sash so he can be stripped to the first red layer.

The little boys are in awe of their older brothers. Most of them sit still with little agape mouths as Jeffrey and Dean work while others go to breakfast. Layers are added and folded just so, cords and straps are tied then untied, only to be tied again. Tying the obi takes all hands but with all of them working together he’s dressed in just under forty minutes. 

Jeffrey is next, pulling faces and swatting at them when he doesn’t like certain things. The two seniors are dressed identically so he keeps telling Andy to come around where he can see him so they match up perfectly. This makes getting Jeffrey dressed a much longer affair.

“I don’t know why I’m so worried, it’s only family day,” he gripes and moves to stand in front of the three sided mirror to make sure their obis are exactly the same length. He dresses himself in his shared dorm room, dark unassuming colors that no one would pay attention to. That is the point of him, to remain as invisible as possible so everyone else can have a good time.

Dean goes back to pick up the practice room while Andy and Jeffrey practice with some of the younger students. He has seen them do this several times and he’ll see it again tomorrow at the Fall Equinox party thrown by some businessman living in America now.

He finishes tidying up and heads to roll the drums into the inner courtyard where the play will take place. When he’s finished with that he sets up more tables in the unmirrored practice room so there is enough places for the students to sit with their families. 

The front door rings and the okiya goes silent. Students are to perform first and then will be reunited with their families. Dean thinks that’s a bit cruel but understands why. If they don’t get it out of the way they’ll be too wound up to actually perform. He puts on the hood and flattens out any imperfections before starting back up on his work. 

Lunch with the parents is thankfully catered so he doesn’t have kitchen duties. The bell rings a few more times as he finishes setting up the tables then heads to the dining room to separate those out so there is more privacy between families. He can see and hear families talking from the kitchen window but can’t place anyone to their son. Sam’s absence makes him anxious but Dean reminds himself that it’s still early.

The next time the bell rings he’s happy to see Jesse’s parents, complete with a big gift bag of what he guesses is comic books. He’s only a few steps away from the door when the bell rings again and he has to turn around. His mouth hangs open when he sees Mr. Singer. The older man laughs, Dean snaps his jaw shut.

“Well that explains a lot,” he states with derision. Mr. Singer must have a son here.

“A man can’t have compassion without having an omega son? Thought they were teaching you manners here.” Bobby winks as he kicks off his shoes while his wife follows behind him. “Karen this is the one I told you about.”

The woman seems nicer than her husband and bows politely. “Hope Robbie isn’t giving you trouble,” she says. Dean shoots Bobby an unimpressed look before turning back to Mrs. Singer. 

“He’s a great kid,” he promises and holds the internal door open so the couple can make their way outside. 

Dean lets someone else get the doors after that since the anticipation is starting to kill him over Sam’s arrival. He has to set up chafing dishes and set out sieza stools anyway and it provides a good distraction. 

The courtyard garden is getting full and still no sign of Sam. Dean puts on the brave face he so often tells the younger students to don and heads to the chashitsu that borders on the garden, hearing the low beat of one of the drums signaling that the performance was about to start. The boys that are to play the drums are goofing off, swinging their hachimaki around and undoing all the hard work he had done to get them dressed. He herds them together for a pep talk.

“Alright, parents are here. Gonna make them proud, right?” He straightens Robbie’s kimono and starts tying on the hachimaki. The other boys start following suit, helping each other. They all nod in unison. “Okay,” he says and goes to kneel by the sliding door and waits for Matsushita to stop talking and the drum beat to change.

On cue he opens the door and bows but never rises to standing, letting the students file out, stepping into their geta as they go. Once the last boy is out he closes the door and practically runs to the practice room so he can open the door for the dancers. Jesse is out first. Dean remains at the door to open it as the play calls for more dancers, winking and wishing them good luck as they leave.

Once the first crop of dancers are out Dean runs to the kitchen window to see if he can see Sam. Nothing. He cranes his neck and tries to look out at an angle but he can’t get see every spot in the garden and the benches for the viewers are spread out. Maybe he’s out there somewhere. Dean quickly drains a mug of tea then heads back to the practice room to start letting the boys exiting the stage back in. 

Jesse is beside himself. “I was the best caterpillar and I saw my mom and dad, they waved but I was good and didn’t wave back.” He is bouncing up and down as Dean unpins the red silk circles and takes off his hat. “How much longer?”

“Not long, go hide so I can let Andy and Jeffrey out,” Dean replies just as the two get up, multiple fans stuck into their obis. “You two go be the best butterflies you can be,” he teases, giving them the thumbs up before composing himself and kneeling.

“We’re gods,” Andy says in the same sarcastic tone then shoots Dean a grin and nods for him to open the door. Dean complies then shuts it and takes Jesse’s hand so he can lead him to the foyer where they can exit when the performance is over. As soon as the parents start clapping Dean lets them out, Jesse breaking away to run over his parents so quickly he forgets to put on his geta. He squeaks and runs back to the cubbies to put them on then clacks all the way back to his parents.

Dean smiles sadly at the sight then ducks back inside. He should go check his email and make sure something didn’t happen to his brother. Just not showing up seemed unlikely since he had been so excited about it and even said his friend Brady was eager to check out the ‘hot taikomochis’.

“Dean!” 

His whole body relaxes because it’s unlikely that any of the students would yell across the garden like that, which meant it had to be Sam. He turns and sees two teenagers heading towards him both dressed in khakis and blazers. Dean smiles and stands politely, hiding his relief and excitement as Sam hurries over with his friend in tow.

“Holy shit, dude,” Sam exclaims when he’s in front of Dean. He keeps his hands to himself, unsure what to do.

“Dude, your brother is a babe,” Brady mutters under his breath, looking away.

Dean laughs and steps forward to crush Sam into a hug. “You can touch me, you’re family,” he says and pats his brother on the back a few times before breaking the hug and looking at Brady. “And thanks, I think that’s the first time I’ve ever been called that.”

Brady looks mortified which makes the brothers laugh even more. “He’s right,” Sam starts to shake his head and wave his hands like he’s calling time out. “I mean you look good, you looked sick and unhappy before.”

“I was in prison,” Dean says as if that really explains everything. It does if he ignores that he never really ate right or got exercise when he lived with his father. Was homeless with his father.

“So you don’t,” Sam makes a vague gesture at the now vacated stage. Dean shakes his head.

“Just work here. Cooking, helping the kids.”

Sam nods but looks like he’s not sure what he’s suppose to be thinking about all this.

“Hungry?” Dean pats his stomach over the obi, eyes wide and questioning. “I was busy this morning getting the kids ready so I didn’t have breakfast.”

“Starving actually,” Sam replies. “Brady’s mom let us drive up ourselves and we got lost then I wasn’t sure where to park because everything seemed sacred and I barely got in for the play. Some woman let me in, seemed happy to see me.” 

“Ellen,” Dean supplies and steps out of the geta as he heads into the foyer. Sam and Brady toe out of theirs and Dean stoops to rearrange them so they’re facing the other way. It had become habit but he can feel Sam staring at him. Shit, he’s really bought this gig hook, line, and sinker hasn’t he.

He shows Sam and Brady to a table in the back and lets them get situated on the sieza stools while he goes to get them food. Everything is traditional Japanese so he gets a little of everything and heads back to the table, consciously aware that both Sam and Brady are watching him.

“How do you do this?” Brady says as Dean kneels without letting the tray move. “You guys are troopers.”

“You get used to it,” Dean explains as he parses out the food. “Couldn’t feel my legs for the first couple of months though.”

They make polite conversation about the okiya and the school that Sam is attending. He plays lacrosse with Brady on the school team, hates math beyond trig, and is on debate team. When he’s finished eating Brady looks around awkwardly. “Um, am I allowed to go talk to anyone?”

Dean nods and thanks him, because it’s obvious that he is trying to give them privacy. As soon as he’s made his way out of the dining room Dean gives Sam a sad smile.

“What was mom like?”

“Sad,” Sam answers quickly, nodding. “She wanted to believe you were alive and that dad hadn’t done that to us, burned our house down.” He pauses and sips his tea then shifts again. “She was a nurse, worked ER.”

Dean wants to hear how she died but he doesn’t want to ask. Sam seems to pick up on this. “It was a car wreck,” he supplies then frowns. “It wasn’t even anyone’s fault. The roads were really slick and mom was driving this old hooptie because she wanted to save money. The other guy died too but he went over the side of the mountain. I’m just glad she didn’t do that.”

Dean nods and sucks in his lower lip to chew on. “Other than that?”

“Sweet, funny.” Sam smiles at a memory. “She liked The Beatles and when I begged her for a Nintendo she got really good at Mario Kart but would make me turn off the sound so we could listen to old Beatles records while we played. Was really strict about me doing homework, would check it over a bunch for me.”

Sam hesitates then gets out with it. “Dad?”

Dean shakes his head. “I don’t know. I don’t know what was him thinking he was protecting me or what was the side of him that would burn down a home because he was embarrassed to have an omega son. He said awful things would happen to me. I knew people essentially sold their omega sons but I think he made it sound worse than it is.” He snorts gives Sam a half grin. “I have the internet now, I look stuff up but everything is candy coated so it’s hard to tell what’s bullshit.”

“This is the best,” Sam says easily, eyes darting around the room. “Not just how nice the place. The UN Human Rights Watch named Japan the most compassionate in omega rights. Most parents in America don’t bother with school for their omegas. There is actually a site for people to auction them off. I don’t want to think about what happens to them.”

“Neither do I.” Dean guesses that was the one bit of information his father fed him that wasn’t bullshit, that omegas were sold off to whore houses or couples unable to conceive.

“I’m sorry if I sounded like a dick, back at the prison and when I dropped you off. I didn’t know you but I didn’t want anything bad to happen to you. Bobby said they put unruly omegas in mental institutions.” Sam shudders and closes his eyes.

“I was being pretty unruly.” Dean has the decency to make a joke and Sam has the decency to laugh.

“Dude, you could have probably smashed that cell to pieces.” Sam shakes his head and pinches the bridge of his nose. 

Dean laughs again. “Don’t think they’ve ever seen an omega do that before.”

Sam laughs too, side eying his brother. “No, don’t think they had.” He stops and looks around. “So you don’t think you’ll, ya know…”

“Perform?” Dean looks at his brother incredulously. “No. I’m bigger than most alphas and just…I dunno.” It’s hard to accept that he’s allowed to want kids and a nice guy after everything his father taught him. He’s got tons of kids here and they seem to like him. “The school is at it’s biggest right now and it will only get bigger if people stop being dicks to their omega sons. Matsushita needs help and I need a job and a place to stay.”

That doesn’t seem to satisfy Sam but he doesn’t go on about it. “Show me around?”

“Yeah, come on.”

Dean gives Sam the tour. He’s impressed with the library and the classrooms. Doesn’t find the practice room that interesting until Dean shows him his sword. He wasn’t going to show him Matsushita’s office but the door is open, presumably because it has one of the best views of the garden.

“Come on, I’ll show you the blue-eyed man,” Dean says and steps into the office. “He’s a legend here 'cause were all a bunch of bored omegas and Matsushita won’t tell us anything about him.”

Dean picks up the picture frame and holds it up for Sam to take. Yeah he’s definitely getting assimilated because he’s slightly alarmed when his brother doesn’t take it with both hands. 

“He was here,” Sam says casually and puts the picture frame back on the shelf.

“What?” Dean is gob smacked. 

“Yeah, sitting right next to me. Said hi but didn’t introduce himself. After the play he gave your teacher a big box of fans and then left right after. He seemed nice I guess.”

“Did you recognize him? He’s not the CEO of some stupid thing is he?” 

Sam gives Dean a curious look. “Not that I know of. He was just a dude.” He smiles. “You like him.”

“What?” Dean shakes his head. “No! I’ll just feel like I won something if I find out who he is first.”

“Well you have a clue, he thinks he’s a samurai, like you.”

“Kendo,” Dean corrects, looking irritated.

“Sure whatever, so maybe there are kendo clubs. I’ve never heard of it must be rare, not many around right? Look ‘em up on the internet.”

“Oh, I’m so dumb.” Now Dean looks even more irritated but it’s at himself.

“Let’s go back to the library and look it up,” Sam suggests. “They don’t kick us out of here for another couple of hours right?”

Dean is out the door and halfway to the library. They sit at the computer and bicker over who controls the mouse for a few seconds before Dean slaps Sam’s hand away and takes over. There are twenty-five kendo schools in California but only one in the immediate area. The website features no pictures of the blue-eyed man.

They search a few more with the same dismal outcome until Brady wonders back in. “That Jeffrey guys would have just taken me for everything I owned if he had been playing for money,” he complains and slumps in a chair then looks around like he’s surprised. “Wait, there are chairs?”

Dean laughs until he hears Andy fretting as he walks down the hall. He stops and looks at the trio sitting in the library. “I’m going,” he states pointedly. 

Oh. Dean excuses himself and walks with Andy down to the foyer. “Don’t be nervous,” Dean suggests, voice like he’s posing a question.

“Thanks,” Andy says with narrowed eyes.

“Just," Dean struggles for what to say, "he’s your friend and you want this too right? So just deep breath and don’t clench up.”

Andy hits Dean with the back of his hand. “Good luck,” he says as Matsushita comes to strike the flint stone. Everyone bows and Dean steps down to open the door for him. Samandriel himself is waiting outside the open door to a limousine. He grins when he sees Andy and it makes Dean smile himself. They’ll be happy. He watches the limo drive off, a sleek Mercedes following it. Dean squints, his mouth falling open as he sees the blue-eyed man driving.

He spins to demand an explanation from Matsushita but his teacher holds up his hand to silence him. “You have another hour with your guests. Spend it wisely.”

Dean sighs exasperatedly and heads back to the library.

“He looked nervous,” Brady says as he sits down. “What was the matter?”

“He’s about to lose his virginity,” Dean deadpans and slumps over the desk.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You get two chapters today. Thank the ice storm. Back to work tomorrow though.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Work has been terrible, your comments get me through it. This was hastily reviewed I'll have to look at it again this weekend.

The Fall Equinox party is takes place in the large conference rooms at the Zojirushi America offices in downtown but they’ve put the okiya in a hotel adjacent. Dean gets his picture taken getting ice. Again when he’s headed down a hall to go check on the younger boys. Every time it’s someone thinking they’re sneaky with their phones. 

He hates it. The clients take pictures, but always during performances. They don’t sneak around hotels and take pictures while some servant omega is trying to get ice for the block of rooms. He wants to know what their reactions are going to be when they see Andy and Jeffrey.

Dean feels lonely despite it only being over night since he’s seen Sam and Andy. He’s sitting on the bed with the youngest children while they watch TV when his friend pokes his head in the room.

“Come talk to me?” Andy jerks his head into the adjoining room that was intended for the seniors and himself. Dean jumps up and heads into their bedroom with a grin, closing the door behind him. Jeffrey is gone to who knows where which is good because there is no way they could have had this conversation with him here.

“Not sure if I want to hear everything or nothing,” Dean admits as he sits on the edge of one of the beds. His reproductive education had come from Matsushita’s medical textbook, his sexual education from porn.

“It was,” Andy pauses, “strange. We drank champagne in the back of the limo and couldn’t think of anything to talk about because we’re having scheduled sex. I’ve never had nothing to talk about, especially with Sammy.”

“You’re a chatterbox,” he agrees. Andy goes to a bag on the desk. “He sent me back with some of the champagne.” He starts twisting off the wire. “Hey you should learn how to uncork it with a katana.”

“I believe you were losing your virginity?” Dean doesn’t want this to be about him. The champagne cork pops and the little tumbler glasses by the ice bucket are filled. He doesn’t think he’s ever had champagne. 

Andy rolls his eyes as he hands one off to Dean. “So you know most go to hotels but he brought me to his house. Dean, it was enormous.”

“You’re going to live there,” Dean cuts him off.

“Yeah I am,” he agrees with a small smile. “He has to get permission from my brother. Douche is going to ask for a dowry but he’s so stupid he’ll ask for a couple of thousand.”

“Or a lifetime’s supply of Weiner Hut.” Dean bites his lips together, obviously pleased with himself. Andy’s face is begging him not to say it. “Which is exactly what you’re getting!” He opens his mouth in a wide smile, Andy massages his forehead with his hand for a moment. 

“Congrats?” Dean tries again. “How long before you leave me here by my lonesome?”

“Couple of months,” Andy guesses. “Maybe longer so his family can put the wedding together.”

“You’re happy and you’re going to keep being happy,” Dean responds with a crooked smile. 

“You could be.” Andy drains the champagne, Dean follows suit. The bubbles tickle his nose and it’s probably the first time he’s ever had it.

“I am!” Dean looks at Andy like he was insane. “This is great, the kids, the work. I didn’t think I’d ever say it but I am. It’s a good job.”

Andy opens his mouth to protest but Matsushita is in the room over telling the younger boys to get ready. Casually, Andy slides the champagne behind the flat screen TV, just as their teacher sticks his head in their room.

“Jeffrey will help me with the children that need it,” Matsushita commands. “Dean please dress Andy.”

They both bow then Andy throws his duffle on the bed for them to start. Dean reverently lays everything out while Andy strips off his kimono. He needs to know and this was the perfect time to ask. “Did you um, notice someone following you when you left the okiya?”

“Someone was behind us but I didn’t think anything about it.” Andy holds out his arms for the next layer, Dean obliges.

“It was the blue-eyed man,” he says as he ties top layer off to the side. Dean looks up just as Andy looks down at him with wide eyes.

“Why would he follow us?”

“I’m not saying he did, just saying he left after your performance then I saw him again, following you after the limo left.”

“Dean I don’t know. I noticed him during the play but I never saw him again after.” Andy gives Dean a sympathetic look as the elaborate furisode is wrapped around him. “He didn’t look like he had his arm in a sling. He looked fine. If that’s what you’re worried about.”

“Yeah, that’s it,” he states unconvincingly and starts on the obi.

The procession to the hotel garners much attention. Dean is actually glad for the hood and keeps his face stony whenever someone takes a picture. The children are lined up two by two with Andy and Jeffrey in the rear. He takes the front of the line standing between the two youngest students and feeling like he needs to watch over them. As they cross the street into the building, people actually get out of their cars to take videos and pictures.

He lets out a breath he didn’t know he was holding as he crosses the threshold into the backstage area of the conference center. Dean feels responsible for them, he is responsible for them.

“Are we famous?” Mr. Singer’s son has broken line to press his face up against the glass door to gawk back at their onlookers.

“Yup,” Dean says. “Y’all relax.”

There is an actual theatrical stage in his building so they head back there were people will not be able to take pictures through the windows. Dean straightens the hats he made and pulls the boys’ kimono tighter. He can hear staff moving around on the other side of the stage, setting up the party. The younger children are nervous and staying close to their surrogate older brother. He drops to sit seiza and lets them crowd around him, giving them words of encouragement.

Matsushita comes a few minutes later with Jeffrey and Andy in tow. Andy mouths ‘portraits’ at Dean and he ticks another thing off the list that he’s happy he doesn’t have to deal with. The noise in front of the stage has gone from sounds of the staff, to sounds of people filling in, laughter. He wonders what that’s like, to laugh because you have absolutely nothing to worry about.

Alone he rolls out the taiko drums for the play while Matsushita and the senior taikomochi make sure that everyone looks presentable. Another peal of laughter and Dean wonders if they know who it is that puts on these shows for them. He wonders if they understand the sacrifice and the culture of subjugation they are perpetuating. 

Dean heads back into the side stage as Matsushita takes it. There is a speech, less informative than the one he gave the parents since most of these men are from Japan and the production begins. He watches it this time, not having anything to do. It’s strange that he can tell exactly what’s going on even if he hadn’t been there for so many rehearsals.

Jesse tackles him into a hug when he exits the stage then turns to sit in his lap while Ben emerges as the butterfly. He’s in one of the most exquisite furisodes in the okiya. When it was brought out Andy told him it was a gift from someone who had courted an omega from the school. This one cost seventeen thousand dollars and was one of several the alpha had sent in thanks.

Who were these alphas that could just send thousands of dollars of gifts in exchange for their child mates?

It was all a façade Dean supposes, the dancing, the fancy schooling. Of course not the childrearing and undertones of learning. That is exactly what alphas want. In the end these alphas were buying their baby makers, boys genetically guaranteed to birth alphas. Dean watches Andy enter the stage and smiles a little. Well, there were the happy endings.

When the performance is over he helps roll the drums into a new formation, having the staff that had been setting up the tables now at his disposal. Dean watches Matsushita escort Andy and Jeffrey to the center of the room from a crack in the stage curtain. The two pop champagne and make the rounds to pour it into awaiting champagne flutes. He spies Ben watching from the side stage, looking forlorn. Dean gets it, he wishes he could save him.

Ellen shows up to escort the youngest back to the hotel, reminding Dean he needs to get the dancers changed into their taiko clothing. Most already have so he makes sure everyone looks uniform and is ready to go out again. Matsushita shows up to exchange babysitting duties, Dean now following Jeffrey and Andy around while their teacher directs the drums.

People ignore him. Dean is used to it. Neither Jeffrey nor Andy require much looking after. Dean can tell Andy is bored to tears without Samandriel there but he still does great job being gracious. He keeps his distance until Jeffrey grabs him by the elbow and ducks their heads together.

“I want you to meet someone, he’s been asking after you and it’s rude not to oblige him.” Dean wants to tell Jeffrey to can it, that he’s there as escort while Matsushita directs drums but he just plasters on a smile and lets himself get pulled towards a group of men that all seem a little drunk.

“Dean this is Alistair Epstein,” Jeffrey introduces. “He’s one of the financial officers here at Zojirushi and one of the rare ones that isn’t an import.”

“Pleasure,” comes Alistair’s voice after they both bow. Dean doesn’t like it. It’s the opposite of the blue-eyed man’s voice. Alistair gestures to the table and reaches out to encourage Dean to sit.

“I would love to but I have to get the kiddos back to the hotel. Believe me a drink would be more fun but it’s not in the cards tonight.”

Dean heads off as Jeffrey distracts the group with a cry of ‘cards’ and snaps his fingers so someone will bring him a deck. Matsushita meets Dean half way and hands over the room keys before heading over to watch Jeffrey and Andy. He collects the children and makes them line up so they can go back to the hotel together. 

A security team in suits escorts them. It’s the most surreal thing ever, especially with the people taking pictures. He whispers for the boys to make faces if they want and that really gets them going. Upstairs everyone gets into pajamas and piles into beds to watch an animated movie on TV. Dean ends up falling asleep there with the five year olds curled up around him.

Even without an alarm Dean wakes up before everyone. He shimmies out from under still sleeping children and gets his geta before heading into the joined room that Andy and Jeffrey are sharing. Kimono parts are strewn everywhere. Jeffrey is lying in his underwear on top of the covers, Andy burrowed into his bed. Dean picks up the two champagne bottles before Matsushita finds them. He sneaks into the hall and shoves in the trash by the vending machines.

Back in the hotel room he silently folds up the kimono and lays out the ones for today. Dean feels like he vacillates between invisible and unwanted attention. He is kneeling on the ground pressing the long obis with the hotel iron when he hears Matsushita’s voice in the hallway.

Curiosity gets the better of him and he sets the iron aside and treads softly to the door, Ear against it he can hear the gist of his teacher’s conversation. He’s wishing the person on the other end of the line a safe trip and to be careful after what happened the last time. There is no doubt in Dean’s mind that Matsushita is talking to the blue-eyed man.

Matsushita makes single word responses for a minute then replies sadly that he’ll see him in a month. Dean presses his lips together and backs away from the door. So he has a month to figure out how to get closer to the blue-eyed man.

His assumption is correct. When the usual Thursday rolls around there is no announcement. Two weeks later and there is no visitor. It is cold for California when Matsushita says that his friend is coming for lunch today. Andy and Jeffrey look at Dean then back at their plates before everyone gets up and leaves him to clean up the dining room alone.

Dean is ready for Andy when he comes down the hall with the tray. He makes a halting motion with his hand and then puts his finger to his lips. When Andy balks and tries to side step him he is there in front of him again, placing his hands on the tray.

“What are you doing?” Andy hisses.

“Let me do it,” he whispers back.

“You’re going to get me in trouble. I thought you were just going to spy on him, not interfere.”

“I’ll take the blame.” He gives the tray a gentle tug and Andy’s eyes go wide. 

“No, you don’t know what you’re doing.”

“I can make freaking tea, Jeffery has been giving me lessons.”

“Two, Dean, he gave you two.”

“I’m a quick learner. I was going to eat that douche bag’s check for you if it was higher than your boyfriend’s so give it to me.” He tugs again and Andy lets go, holding his hands up in surrender. 

“Your funeral,” he mutters as he walks away until he’s out of sight and turns around, arms folded over his chest.

Dean presses his lips together and kneels to set down the tray. He inhales sharply and slides open the door, then picks it up again to set it inside. As he sidesteps into the tearoom and kneels to close the door again he replays the couple of times he has seen this done. If he is to believe what Matsushita is telling him he isn’t as stupid as his father led him to believe and he can at the very least wing this.

He gets up and walks to the center of the room, stopping at the hearth and lowering himself to sit seiza-style, placing the tray down. Even with his head ducked he can see that the blue-eyed man is sitting with his back to the tokonoma and makes a mental note to serve him first. If either the blue-eyed man or the sensei are surprised he is not the taikomochi they expected they are not commenting on it. Dean exhales slowly and begins.

Every time he snaps the linen napkin straight the sound seems to boom in the room, so much louder than during his lessons. The omega knows that it is considered impolite to talk while the tea is being made but he would give anything for some noise. His wish goes ungranted and the only sound is the water filling the cup.

As he whisks the tea into the cup he steals a glance upward. The blue-eyed man’s head is cocked slightly to the side as if studying him. Dean draws in a breath and raises the whisk before setting it to the side and picking up the cup. He rotates it then places it in front of the blue-eyed man and bows, head nearly to the floor before starting on the next cup for Matsushita.

“Thank you, Dean,” comes his teacher’s voice when he has completed the second cup. There is no detectable anger and the omega hopes he won’t be receiving lashes for this little stunt.

“Thank you,” echoes the blue-eyed man, the gravel in his voice sending a shiver down his spine.

Dean simply bows again and places the cups and tea implements in their compartments on his tray before getting up and making his way to the door. When he kneels to close the door he looks up down the hall at nothing, knowing this will give the blue-eyed man the opportunity to view the small amount of profile the hood allows. He doesn’t need the hopefully imperceptible shift of his eyes to know that blue-eyes is looking right at him. A broad smile spreads across his face, and Dean knows he sees that too as he slides the shoji shut.

“Well?” Andy is standing with his hands on his hips in the kitchen, face red with irritation.

“Well what?” Dean shrugs and sets the tray down near the basin to begin cleaning the utensils. “I made tea.”

“They didn’t say anything?” He looks like he might start throwing things at any minute.

“Just thank you.” Dean is trying to play off the situation but his heart is beating a mile a minute. He feels like he is going to explode. “I will not let you get in trouble for this, I promise.”

“If you do you dress Jeffrey by yourself for a month,” Andy spits and starts helping him clean up.

“Deal,” Dean replies easily.

They eat rice with left over miso poured over it standing in the kitchen, both waiting for the sensei to come in and scold them both. He never does, nor does he say anything at Dean’s lesson on massage. At first Dean thinks they’re getting the silent treatment but at dinner, this time Japanese, Matsushita is his usual jovial self, chatting with all the students including Dean and Andy.

Dean thinks maybe he forgot about who he had asked and after a few days he stops worrying. He concentrates on his kata and reading the stacks of books that seem to grow on their own volition.


	11. Chapter 11

While the memory of stealing the moment with the blue-eyed man is seared on to his mind Dean completely forgets his anxiousness until another two weeks have rolled around and Matsushita asks him to preform tea ceremony for him and his guest.

“I’ve got four hours to figure out how to let blue-eyes know I practice kendo kata without saying anything to him,” Dean growls at Andy as they carry books to a classroom.

“You want to be courted by him,” Andy teases.

Dean makes a face and shakes his head. “I don’t even know him.”

“That’s the point of being courted, Dean,” he states sarcastically. “I have an idea. Do nothing different, okay? When you exit the tearoom I will walk up while the door is still open and give you your katana.”

“Think he’ll understand?” Dean chews on his lip.

“If not he’s probably pretty dull and you shouldn’t be disappointed.”

If Dean is pouting at that Andy doesn’t mention it. They set the books out on the desks and leave the classroom to collect the youngest students from their dorms.

“You should probably find something else to wear,” Andy muses.

“They’re all either brown or black, is one better than the other?”

“Just plain, like an old mated omega’s,” his friend retorts.

“What? Oh.” Dean sucks in his bottom lip as he opens the door to the dormitory. The students are mostly ready, giggling and running about. “Where do I get one like that?” He indicates the embroidery on Andy’s soft blue kimono, this time featuring maple leaves down one sleeve and across the bottom, his obi the same deep red color as the leaves.

“We can’t put something like this together in four hours, Dean,” he says sadly as he ushers the group of children to line up.

Dean is crushed as he helps the smallest child retie his own obi and look for his pencil bag. He soothes down the little boy’s hair then obliges him when he asks to be carried to class. When he sets him down just outside of the classroom he gets a hug around his knees for the effort before the child scampers off to climb in his chair.

“Can I borrow one of yours?” Dean asks hopefully. Andy laughs and puts his hand on top of his head, moving it flatly into Dean’s space until it collides with his chest.

“If you want one that hits your knees sure,” he says with a little frown. “I have to teach, go practice your kata.”

Dean nods, lips quirked with thought. Even without the proper attire they still had the sword to play into it. He supposes that will have to do and tries to push it out of his mind. 

Practicing kata helps a bit and by the time the bell has chimed, he’s relaxed and ready. He places the katana back on the rack and makes his way to the kitchen.

Jeffery is waiting for him in the kitchen, already setting out the items he needs for the ceremony. A deep green obi and a red under-robe is sitting on a bed of tissue paper near where he is working.

“Word gets around fast.” He snarks and goes to help.

“Kimono would have to be let out, this is the least we can do,” Jeffrey shrugs and picks up the under-robe, moving behind Dean to untie the obi he’s wearing. Dean leans forward to make sure no one is in the hall and starts stripping. They arrange the layers then Dean holds his sleeves up and out of the way so Jeffrey can tie the obi.

“Suck in, Dean!” Jeffrey barks behind him. “I have nothing to work with.”

“I am!”

“How does it look?” He asks and makes a face as his hood is rearranged and the juban is tugged to show more red.

“Go knock him dead,” Jeffrey teases before exiting the kitchen. Dean inhales deeply and picks up the tray to walk towards the chashitsu.

As he slides the shoji open, the straightening of the blue-eyed man’s posture is unmistakable. Dean can feel the crystal eyes bore into him through every step of the ceremony. There is no comment of gratitude this time, causing him to panic slightly. He wills his hands not to shake as he places their lunches in front of them and starts to pick up the tray containing the tea utensils.

“Dean,” the blue-eyed man says when it’s finally all over. “Thank you.” They both bow at the same time. “I would like to see you again.”

He rises from the bow, lips quirking into a smirk he isn’t sure the blue-eyed man will be able to see. “You know where to find me.”

“I will discuss it with Sensei Matsushita,” he says and bows again.

“Thank you, Dean,” Matsushita chimes in, obviously dismissing him. He gets up and makes his way out of the tearoom. His shock is real when Andy appears in front of him holding out the katana with both hands, having forgotten about it with the blue-eyed man’s request to see him again. He recovers as best as he can, noting the slightest of inclinations of the head from Matsushita’s guest.

Dean places the katana in his lap and slides the shoji shut, beaming at Andy. His friend stoops to pick up the tray and they quickly make they’re way back to the relative privacy of the kitchen.

“He wants to see me!” Dean exclaims with a grin. “He asked me.”

“What did sensei say?”

“Nothing, they’re supposed to be discussing it now.”

“So much for you not being taikomochi,” Andy states definitively. 

“What?” Dean looks up from the teacup he’s wiping.

“You can’t keep coming out as our escort.” Andy tugs on his white juban then looks pointedly at Dean’s red one. “You just showed him you’re virginal and available. He’s going to expect to see that again.”

“I’m not trying to get mated, I just want to get to know him,” Dean protests, shaking his head. Andy is looking at him like he doesn’t believe him.

“Matsushita isn’t going to let you make up your own rules about this.”

Dean slumps. Andy is right of course. He looks at the whisk that he’s cleaning in his hand and then over at Andy. “Does this mean I’m out of cleaning duty?”

Andy rolls his eyes then nods. “Probably, yeah.”

A pleased smile spreads over Dean’s face, taking residence there until the thought occurs to him. “He’s going to make me learn all the fan crap isn’t he?”

“Not if we show him what we did with the katana first.” Andy starts to head out of the kitchen. “Which means you need to hurry up so we can practice more.”

Dean tosses the sponge in its holder and hurries after his friend.

Jeffrey is in disbelief that Dean is there voluntarily and without some sort of bribe. Either way they’re all going to have to pitch in to get dinner ready with all the practice they’re going to need to do. They have no timetable until Matsushita informs them of one but there is still a sense of urgency. While Dean has been learning in order to help teach, he’s still not as versed as neither Jeffrey nor Andy.

They practice until the last possible second then all hurry down to kitchen to tie back sleeves and put on aprons to prepare dinner. Matsushita shows no reaction when all three of them start toting trays of baked chicken and mixed veggies into the dining hall but after dinner he asks Dean to meet him in the practice room.

Andy nudges his thigh and grins knowingly. Dean’s going to do this willingly because he knows he can back out at any time and go back to being the servant. Some of the younger students have kitchen duty so after a quick pep talk from his friends he heads down to the mirrored practice room to see what Matsushita has in store for him.

Dean enters from the kneeling position, deciding it was better to be as polite as possible when about to be handed your fate. Matsushita’s back is to him, rummaging through a dresser that takes up nearly the whole wall.

“So you’ve decided to play along.” Matsushita states as pull out several boxes and sets them to the side. “I should have guessed that it would be Castiel that would catch your interest.” He looks over his shoulder at Dean. “And dare I say, you have caught his attention as well.”

“Sensei?” Dean cocks an eyebrow. Castiel must be the blue-eyed man.

“You can’t go in that,” he mutters and starts opening drawers and the closing them, obviously looking for something other than the boxes he already has. “I have some more appropriate kimono, something that maybe we can have let out before your debut.”

“My debut?” Dean repeats.

“On the winter solstice,” his teacher states like he should know have know that. “Ah here it is.” A tissue paper wrapped article is lifted from the drawer and set a top the dresser. Matsushita peels back the paper to reveal a dark brown silk kimono.

Dean balks at first, thinking brown just to be another dark robe for old omegas. It looks like a fine garment but it’s just so… brown. “I thought the idea was to show your friend I was available.”

“In such a hurry to jump to conclusions,” he chastises and sets the obi and other components aside. The instructor carefully lifts the garment up and the fabric cascades down revealing a green embroidered pine forest along the bottom. It’s marginally better than what he thought it would be. “Do you know the significance of this?”

Dean thinks for a minute. “Your surname means under the pine?”

“Yes,” he nods and places the garment back on the table. “Should we try it on?”

The omega is already tugging at the tie of his obi behind his back, causing his sensei to laugh at his enthusiasm. “I think we should match the green, bring out your eyes. It seems that’s what Castiel was most drawn to.”

“Tell me about him,” Dean asks gently as he disrobes and picks up the blood red juban to slip on.

“An old soul,” Matsushita states and pulls out an obi and reaches to Dean’s sides to start tugging on the two layers. The omega holds the flap closed as his teacher starts wrapping him tightly in a wide sash.

“That’s all I get?” Dean huffs and then sucks in his breath so the obi can be tightened more.

“You don’t need any more, you already have his undivided attention.” 

“So he’s asked you to bring me somewhere,” Dean questions as he is guided to a three-sided mirror and then turned slightly. He laughs hollowly and jabs a thumb in the direction of the obi. “That makes me look like I’m a present wrapped up for him.”

“Washikusa, eagle taking flight, he will understand.”

Dean rolls his eyes, nearly six months here and he’s still surprised about all the deeper meanings that everything has. “Where did you meet?”

“Japan.” Matsushita manhandles Dean to turn, looking him over. There are green pine needles embroidered over his back. “Save this conversation to have with Castiel.” He looks down at Dean’s ankles. “It’s too short.”

Muttering, his sensei drops to the ground and feels around the inside lower hem. Dean pulls the hood over his head and gives the mirrors a few lascivious looks then goes through the motions of how he is to talk to guests, pretending to bow coyly and make slow hand gestures. 

“Are you done?” Matsushita chides and tugs on the omega’s long sleeve, muttering that the cuff will also have to let out. Dean tries to stay serious, biting his lip to prevent from bursting into laughter.

“Hai, sensei,” Dean slides the ball of his foot a few inches behind him so he can bend his knees to bow deeply using his most demure voice.

“Somehow I think no matter how well or badly this goes, you’re going to be the death of me.”

Dean repeats himself and gives the same exaggerated bow, this time holding his hands up at an angle like fan dancers. Matsushita scrunches up his face like he’s trying not to laugh.

“Take it off,” he says, still straightening and pulling at the silks with a frown on his face. “If I let it out to the longest possible it shall fit.”

As his sensei steps behind him to undo the obi Dean shakes his head. “After the tea ceremony, he asked you to bring me somewhere he can talk to me, right?”

“Yes,” Matsushita affirms. “But you won’t be there for him only, you have to entertain others as well. Can you do that?”

“Of course.” The pine tree kimono is slipped off his shoulders but he stays put since it looks like Matsushita is going to make him give him a fashion show. Taking it’s place is the one with the tiger in the snow that he saw Andy wearing his first day there. 

“Isn’t this Andy’s?” Dean doesn’t want to steal his friend’s clothes and possibly be seen as usurping him.

“It’s the okiya’s and Andy is getting engaged this weekend.”

“Does Andy know he’s getting engaged this weekend?”

“No, don’t ruin the surprise.”

Dean laughs. “Guess I don’t get to go see it do I since I’m not going out until December.” He frowns, he really would have liked to see that.

“I promise to take a video,” Matsushita states. “If you promise to keep working on the kendo kata to incorporate with the fan choreography.”

“Nothing gets by you,” he replies then sucks in again so the obi can be tightened. Dean looks in the mirror thoughtfully. So Andy was getting married and Jeffrey was going to Japan. Ben and a few others would debut on the Coming of Age ceremony in January. Surely with all those entertaining together he can devote his attention to the blue-eyed man.

Castiel. His name was Castiel. Good omega born alpha name. They always had fancy names. For the next month Dean keeps Castiel’s name to himself. He treasures it and holds it dear as something he can only have in this world of communal living. When Castiel goes out for the first time to one of their performances his name won’t be secret any more. Andy and Jeffrey must assume that Dean doesn’t know it since they don’t ask, and he’s thankful since he wouldn’t want to lie to his friends.

They practice for hours. Most of Dean’s chores have been allocated to other students on a rotating basis, freeing up his time. He can catch a fan thrown at him with the katana by its lower spines without piercing the silk or paper. His toes and hand cramp more than when he was working but he falls asleep every night content and happy. He did it. He learned Castiel’s name and for now it’s all his.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just click it: http://ellensama.tumblr.com/post/58729534521/jotaro-saito-designs-i-am-just-in-love-with-this


	12. Chapter 12

The Winter Solstice comes more quickly than Dean had anticipated. The seasons changing means another family day and he is excited to see his brother again. For the performance the okiya does The Tale of the Bamboo cutter. Different students play the omega found inside the bamboo at different stages of his life. He’s a little embarrassed at playing the prince with his brother watching but he gets through it. At least when he sees Castiel it will mostly just be entertaining.

Sam has Brady in tow again and as Dean approaches he can hear him actually whisper holy shit under his breath. Dean’s not sure what the hoopla is about. Sure he’s dressed differently, in hakama and with the hood barely on his head, disguised as a samurai's helmet since he’s supposed to be an alpha prince, but he’s still the same guy as last time. He hugs his brother tight then offers his hand to Brady to shake. The guy looks like he’s going to burst, which is strange, he seemed okay the last time.

“Is he okay?” Dean asks as Brady vacates their vicinity for a card game elsewhere again. 

Sam just laughs and shakes his head. “You don’t have a lot of mirrors around here do you?”

Dean gives his brother an odd look. Either he is loosing he sense of humor or he needs to get out of the okiya more and isn’t getting some reference. He waits for the obvious question and sighs when he hears it.

“So what changed your mind?”

He doesn’t want to say Castiel even though that’s essentially it. “I decided to explore all my options,” he half fibs. Castiel wasn’t an option, but entertaining was.

“Well all this is a lot more interesting with a sword,” Sam says with a grin. Dean grins back because hell yeah it is.

After Dean changes they catch up over hot tea and donburi. The dining room tables have all been converted to kotatsu for the winter. This amuses Sam to no end and he takes more pictures of the ‘heaty blanket table’ as he calls it than he did the performance. He’s also amused by the way the younger children wait on Dean now. Dean takes it in stride.

After they feel they’ve sufficiently caught up, Dean goes to get Andy. With his parents dead and his brother a jerk he never has visitors and Dean hates to see him hole himself up in his room. They watch the engagement video on the iPad Samandriel gave Andy and Sam has all the right responses to the wide pavéd band that adorns Andy’s ring finger.

Samandriel has paid some unknown sum to Andy’s brother for the right to him. He had also offered to pay for the rest of the cost of his schooling but Andy insisted on finishing. Dean respects that and wonders what that cost was too. What was the cost of his own schooling for that matter? 

He hates to admit he’s nervous about tomorrow so Dean doesn’t. Out loud anyway. Sam has promised to come to the daytime portion of the multicultural winter festival where they will be performing. That makes it better until he has to head to the private party where Castiel will be.

After everyone has left, Andy and Dean drink tea to make themselves sleepy. He hates being nervous but hates himself more for letting himself get worked up over something he swore he would never do to begin with. Andy just ways he wants a good nights sleep before having to perform all day.

They sleep until a younger student wakes and tells them they have to get ready. Everyone gets in the same get up that they wore yesterday, since they’re doing the play for the general public first, drums later. Ellen and some of the parents ferry the students to the office park, owned by one of the Japanese conglomerates that frequently hires them of course, where everything has been set up for them on the stage. 

Even though Jesse trips and nearly falls mid performance the play goes on without a hitch. Dean’s proud of the little boy for not getting upset with himself. After the play they’re allowed to explore the festival with their escorts before the drum performance. Samandriel is there today so Andy goes off with him while Dean heads out with Sam once he’s changed into the pine tree furisode and the deep green obi, tied up in the knot he said looked like a bow though Matsushita insisted it was an eagle.

They never get too far, people keep asking for picture, sometimes getting in the frame themselves. They’re asking Sam of course, not him but Dean answers anyway and appreciates his brother’s deferment to him. 

“Okay after all that, I’m making you eat octopus balls,” he says and ducks into line. “Course I don’t have money so you have to pay for your own octopus balls.”

“Say what now?” Sam digs for his wallet even though he’s confused.

“Takoyaki.” He annunciates each syllable and points to the sign as if his brother could read Japanese. “But it’s octopus balls. Matsushita makes them sometimes. I ate a ton of them before he told me what they were.” Dean nods sagely, looking at his brother. Sam obliges and forks over a few bucks for the little paper tray of indiscriminate fried dough.

“There are really octopus balls in here?” Sam looks at his brother skeptically and picks up one with the toothpick. Dean looks at him strangely until he realizes what Sam is thinking. He laughs and picks up one and pops it in his mouth. “Not balls, balls. It’s octopus meat in the ball.”

Sam laughs too, looks relieved as he tries one. “Okay that’s not bad.” 

They share the tray as they walk. Dean gets stopped for more pictures. “I really don’t get what the big deal is. The school is here every year right? They’ve seen omegas from an okiya before right?”

Sam rolls his eyes and keeps walking. “It’s you, dude.”

“What? No.” Dean gives his brother an unimpressed look, thinking he’s messing with him.

“You’re unbelievable,” Sam mutters and eyes a German booth selling beer. He pulls his wallet back out of his back pocket and pulls a twenty out of it. “I bet you ten bucks you can go get that guy to sell you beer even though we’re both underage.”

Dean side eyes Sam then snorts a laugh. “Well that’s just cause I’m a brilliant con artist, not cause I’m pretty.” He snaps the twenty out of Sam’s hand and marches over, changing his expression to seem irritated a couple of paces from the booth. The attendant is staring at him. Good.

“Two bockbiers please,” he says, sounding exasperated. Beta he thinks, awesome, that works in his favor.

The attendant swallows thickly, eyes flicking from Dean to Sam behind him. “Uh, I don’t think…”

He sighs and cocks his head to one side like this treatment is unbelievable. “What don’t think I look old enough? You know full well I don’t have an ID to show you.” Dean jerks his head back in the direction of his brother. “And mister social anxiety back there isn’t going to talk to anyone. I’ve had a boring alpha hiding behind me all day, the least you can do is get me a couple of beers to make this bearable.”

The attendant looks over at Sam. Dean knows his brother looks nervous though it’s because of the legality of the situation. “Of course,” the attendant says, giving Dean a knowing look like he was sick of dealing with alphas as well. Dean tips him two bucks, leaving himself the ten. He tucks it into his obi and heads back to Sam. “Guess I get to keep the change.”

“I told you!” Sam takes the beer, looking self satisfied.

“That had nothing to do with looks.” Dean taps his temple. “That was totally Jedi mind tricks.”

“No, it had everything to do with looks. All you did was look at him and he changed his mind.”

Dean thought his argument was pretty damn persuasive but he's not going to tell Sam that he was the key point in the persuasion. “Shut up and drink your beer.”

They wander around a bit before heading back to the stage where there is some sort of Scandinavian winter play going on. They watch for a while, sipping their beers. Dean feels bad for the actors. California doesn’t get cold enough for the getups they have to wear. 

The stage is cleared and the children from the okiya take the stage to do a few drum performances. Dean grins at Jessie and Robbie who are clearly searching for their parents even though they’re trying to look like they’re not. He spies the Singers sitting on a bench drinking that hot Glögg that the Scandinavian cultural group brought. Even though it’s California, the sun is starting to go down and there is a chill to the air and now Dean wishes he got that instead of cold beer. 

“Huh,” Sam says, looking at the people milling around then drains the rest of his beer.

“What?” Dean finishes his and stacks his empty into his brother’s.

“I thought this was an omega thing but it’s not. Your school is the only group of omegas here.”

Dean has to think about that for a minute but the significance is not lost on him. He grins from under his hood as Andy and Samandriel approach them with cups of hot sake for each of them. They chat for a while, watching the drum performance. The people arriving now are wearing suits and fancy dresses, clearly headed to the party. There is even a couple omega in their hooded kimono. 

“Well this is an interesting development,” comes a voice from behind them. Dean deflates momentarily but turns and forces a smile. 

“Mr. Epstein,” he says politely. “Sam this is Alistair Epstein, Mr. Epstein this is my brother, Sam Winchester.” 

Sam tries to puff himself up as he shakes hand with Alistair. Dean would roll his eyes over alpha posturing if it wasn’t his brother. He gets it, but he doesn’t need his brother’s protection. Presence for legal purposes yes, protection no. He spies Matsushita heading towards them and plasters on the smile again.

Once there he addresses each alpha by last name then motions towards the back of the festival. “We should head to the Sumitomo building,” he pauses and considers Sam. “Mr. Winchester will you be joining us?”

Sam smiles but shrugs it off. “Didn’t get the invite.” Dean hopes they’ll make an exception but Matsushita is nodding and Alistair is holding out his crooked arm for Dean to take.

“Then I’ll escort your brother for you,” he offers. Dean hugs Sam goodbye then reluctantly slips his hand into the hook of Alistair’s elbow. He can do this, he only has to humor Alistair until Castiel shows up.

“I’ll see you in a couple months, Sam,” he says and puts on his brave face. Even with their limited interactions Sam can tell his brother doesn’t want to drag this out. Sam gives a little wave and bids his goodbyes before heading in the opposite direction.

The Sumitomo building looks like any corporate office from the outside but is heavily influenced by its Japanese roots indoors. Dean climbs the steps to the open ballroom on the mezzanine, two paces behind Samandriel and Andy. Matsushita is behind them, carrying a large bundle that is unmistakably his katana and the sensei’s shamisen. The alphas break away on the landing, promising to return to collect them later. Dean hopes for the life of him that Castiel beats Alistair to it.

From his spot on the landing he can see that the ballroom is really the largest tearoom he’s ever seen. Not that he’s seen more than one, but Dean is counting pictures on the internet and in books, too. The tatami are on a raised platform to the right of the stairs, a normal dance floor and tables to the left. He turns backwards as the other taikomochi do, using the last step to remove his geta. As they turn and walk in the room falls completely silent. Without cue the three omegas simultaneously bow lowly.

When he rises, Dean’s eyes scan the crowd looking for Castiel. Please please please his mind repeats over and over again. Nothing. No searing blue eyes or ever-present black suit. No hint of the tan trench coat. 

Disappointment washes over him but he tells himself not to panic. The room is large, Castiel probably checked his coat, and nearly everyone is wearing black. 

“I was hoping you’d come entertain my guests,” a man says from behind him, his voice making the hair at the back of Dean’s neck stand on end. Zachariah Adler.

“Of course,” he says with a slight bow and waits for the man to walk off a few paces before following as Jeffrey is escorted arm in arm to a low table with the older men sitting sieza around it. He sighs watching as Samandriel rushes to Andy’s side and takes his hand. Dean gives his friend a small smile as he is urged into the crowd.

A chair is pulled out for him and he sits, surveying the faces that surround the large table. Alistair is there, smiling at him. Dean gives everyone a tightlipped smile then puts on his façade. “Alright, drinks,” he pipes up and waves down a waiter who sets a sake set in front of him.

“You’re older than the rest,” a woman with too much plastic surgery pipes up. 

Dean looks at her incredulously. “Compared to the rest of who?”

The alphas laugh. Alistair’s and Zachariah’s stick out. He wonders what Castiel’s laugh sounds like. Dean bets Castiel never fakes a laugh. For thirty minutes he cracks jokes, mostly at the patron’s expense until Jeffrey is heading over and pushing the katana into his space. He takes it and places it over his thighs.

“I’ve been talking you up and everyone want to see it,” Jeffrey exclaims breathlessly. Dean suspects Jeffrey is trying to get a dance out of the way so he can get drunk.

“What does he do?” Zachariah eyes the sword suspiciously. Dean grips it tighter but keeps his chin up and the smirk plastered on his lips.

“Sushi chef, remember? Gonna go find a koi pond.” With that Dean gets up and waits for Andy to head over to them. People are starting to crowd around and Matsushita is already tuning the shamisen and taking residence on the edge of the tatami mats. Dean’s heart pounds as he sees who is standing behind his teacher even though his exterior is calm.

He takes a deep breath and even manages to throw a wink Castiel’s way as they head towards the center of the mats. Andy mutters something under his breath that sounds like ‘holy fucking shit’ and Jeffrey swats Dean on the side with a fan.

“I have a sword so don’t screw this up on purpose,” Dean whispers lowly when their foreheads touch the tatami in the bow. Jeffrey snorts. Yeah they need to get this done with before he gets too drunk. They’ve practiced this a hundred times but Dean nearly forgets the most basic kata as he rises. He recovers and soon he’s going almost purely on muscle memory, barely having to think about it.

It’s not a long song, making Dean worry they’re going to ask for more but when they finish and give a standing bow there is nothing but silence. “Did we fuck something up?” Dean asks the tatami just before the crows erupts in applause. “Guess not,” he says as he rises and smiles.

He turns and Castiel is coming right at him. He’s beaming at him and Dean can’t help but beam right back. The katana is loose in his grip and this is it, he opens his mouth to say something just as he notices Castiel’s expression darken.

“Dean I was wondering if you would come explain to us how you arrived as such a unique form of dance.” Alistair’s voice is like sandpaper on his skin even though he’s singsonging. 

Dean is brewing some witty retort but decides against it when he feels Castiel’s presence next to him.

“I was about to ask you the same thing.” Dean looks over at Castiel and holy shit if looks could kill Alistair would be a dead man.

“I asked him first,” Alistair reaches out to grip Dean’s arm but Castiel body blocks him. Alphas are peacocking over him. This was the most surreal night of his life.

“I asked him to be here,” Castiel responds firmly. Alphas are peacocking over him and he’s standing there like a useless lump.

“It would be a shame to allow myself to be commandeered by one group,” Dean speaks up and sidesteps Castiel. He bows slightly and then flashes a huge smile and tucks his hand into Castiel’s elbow. “Perhaps later I can come explain kendo to you. I’m sure we both could.” If Andy and Jeffrey were going to find out Castiel’s name it was going to be some other way than standing around eavesdropping.

“I could use some fresh air,” Castiel says, directing his attention to Dean as he snugs his arm closer to his body, locking themselves together.

“So could I,” Dean agrees. They turn off together, heading to get Castiel’s shoes that were placed right next to Dean’s geta. He wonders if Castiel did that on purpose as he steps into them then lets himself be guided out to the balcony.

“I don’t usually, do this sort of thing,” Castiel says apologetically. 

“Neither do I,” Dean responds with a laugh. 

“I thought you were a teacher until you came in with the tea the other day.” He drops Dean’s hand from his arm and stands a respectable distance away.

"That's you thought I would be most comfortable with Japanese." He smiles, happy that this is starting to make sense.

Castiel laughs nervously and nods. “In the hall, yes.” The party is continuing on behind them. Dean would shut the balcony door but knows that security would just open it back up again. They were being watched. He was an unclaimed omega and Castiel was every bit an alpha. 

Dean settles for heading to the banister of the balcony to put as much distance between themselves and the eavesdropping security team. He wants to rest his forearms on the rail and look down at the festival still going on underneath them but that will make him look like he’s presenting so he stays upright and cranes his neck to watch people. The taiko have been moved and there is a band playing folk music on stage now.

“You’re a big mystery at the okiya,” he says with a smirk, “but I guess you knew that. I didn’t tell anyone your name.”

“I think Toshi uses that to keep you preoccupied, I assure you I’m ordinary.” Castiel’s voice is even but there is a hint of a smile in his eyes. Dean looks at him warily.

“How’d you get hurt if you don’t mind me asking?” He turns and leans his back against the balcony.

Castiel actually blushes at that but grins and makes a vague gesture with his hands. “Now that wasn’t ordinary. In my line of work maybe, but not normally.”

“Tell me, what are you like James Bond? You look like James Bond in that suit.” He’s smiling broadly and takes a small step forward. Castiel has made him feel relaxed. “Are all your suits black?

“James Bond doesn’t have my security clearance,” Castiel says with a grin that may mean he is joking then looks down and smoothes his hands over his suit jacket. “I was informed this was charcoal grey when I bought it.”

Dean laughs and slips his hands into the opposite cuffs of his sleeves to keep them warm. “So who do you work for?”

Castiel shoots him a look. “Can you keep a secret?”

“I lived a lie for nineteen years, pretending we stood out here and talked about dancing and flower arrangements will be easy.”

“Lived a lie?” Castiel looks at him curiously. “Okay, then you have to explain yourself. I work for a security organization.”

The answer disappoints Dean. He wanted to hear CIA or MI6. “Is that why you’re gone for long stretches? And why you haven’t taken a mate?”

“Yes, though I haven’t taken a mate because I second guess myself about it.” He sighs and looks over at Dean. “This is why I never go out, I don’t like talking about myself.”

“Sorry, but is the security to thing why you were following Andy and Sammy?”

“Yes, given their relationship, Toshi didn’t want to hire normal security for Andy’s mizuage so I did everyone a favor since I’m less invasive.”

Dean cocks his head to one side and looks at Castiel with appreciation. “That’s really nice of you.” He snorts. “He hasn’t gone into the details.”

Castiel looks a little shocked. “Would you really want them?”

“Sure, it’s not like I’m going to do that.”

“Oh, so you think you’ll teach after all?”

“Yeah, but not because I'm a prude or anything,” Dean clarifies with a shrug. “It’s just that something like that I don’t want to leave to the whim other people. Like what if the guy I want to buy it has never bought one before and doesn’t know what to pay, or the dude I keep pissing off pays a lot of money just so he can humiliate me. I’d rather have the power to say to someone, I like you, you can have my V-card.”

Castiel seems impressed with this reasoning which makes Dean happy because he wants to drop it so he doesn’t have to talk about him dying a virgin. “You never said how you got injured.”

“There was a bombing at an embassy. I was working security detail and the offices we worked out of collapsed.”

Dean knows his mouth is a perfect ‘O’. He snaps his jaw shut. “That was on the news.”

“Yes, I imagine it was.”

“But you’re okay, right? You look fine now.”

“Just a dislocated shoulder and a pinched sciatic nerve. It worked itself out.” Castiel looks away, making Dean feel guilty since he said that he didn’t like talking about himself.

“I told you I’d tell you how I lived a lie.” It’s the least he can do since he made Castiel talk about himself. That gets Castiel’s undivided attention so he tells him the whole sordid story, starting with the house being burnt down by his father. He leaves out his interest in Castiel himself, but tells the truth otherwise. When he’s finished Castiel pulls a flash from the inner pocket of his suit coat and holds it out to Dean.

“Thanks,” he says as he takes it and unscrews the cap. There is some sort of military eagle engraved on it. “So yeah that’s why I’m a month away from my twentieth birthday and just starting this gig. I’m not much older than Andy and Jeffrey but they’ve been doing this for what, two years? I couldn’t imagine starting this when I was fourteen or fifteen.”

Dean takes a long pull from the flask then hands it back to Castiel. He takes a sip as well then caps it and puts back in his suit.

“Andy’s going to get married before kids his age graduate high school. And Sammy is how old? Mid twenties for sure.” Dean looks at Castiel critically. He had to be in his thirties. Maybe thirty-three, thirty-five at the most. That made him sixteen years old than himself.

“Thirty-two,” Castiel says without prompting, laughing a little and gesturing at himself. Okay so thirteen then.

“Looking good,” Dean says teasingly. 

Castiel grins and ducks his head in thanks. He steals a glance inside and sighs. “We should probably go back in.”

Dean knows he’s right but it doesn’t make him any less disappointed. “Coming of age and New Year is coming up. Think you’ll make it out?”

“I will give it my best. I travel frequently.”

“Yeah just try. I’ll be here.” Dean smiles as he hooks his hand into Castiel’s proffered arm then they head inside.

He has to make the rounds but Castiel is a comforting presence somewhere near him at all times. Even when Alistair and Zachariah get in his personal space he doesn’t mind. Dean teases and cracks jokes at their expense. He catches Andy’s fans on the katana for a while. When it’s all over Castiel escorts him back to Matsushita’s SUV and helps him get inside.

Dean slips his hand inside Castiel’s own and gives it a squeeze, trying to look as grateful as possible. “New Years?”

“I promise if I’m here,” he says firmly as he squeezes Dean’s hand back then extracts it. The door is closed and Dean closes his eyes and settles back into the seat. Castiel bangs on the top of the SUV to signal they’re buttoned up and safe then Matsushita drives off. It takes everything in his being not to look behind him at Castiel. Obviously Andy doesn’t need to play coy and twists in his seat.

“He’s watching up drive off,” Andy says and waves.

Dean pulls the hood over his head even more and smiles serenely to himself.


	13. Chapter 13

“You’re so in love.”

Dean pulls a fan off his katana and throws it at Andy. That one wasn’t so lucky, getting sliced up pretty badly but they’re practicing with cheap ones, definitely not the ones Castiel had given Matsushita over three months ago.

“This isn’t my in love face, this is my I’m smug because I’m right and I won face,” Dean counters and shakes the rest of the fans off the blade. 

Andy looks at him like he doesn’t believe him but doesn’t say anything to argue. It’s Christmas but they’re not watching movies in the dining room or making calls to their families. Dean wants to get this perfect and he snuck into the library to Skype Sam early in the morning before Sam did Christmas stuff with Brady’s family. Besides Andy doesn’t have anyone to call and practice will keep his mind off that.

“I wonder what Castiel is doing?” Andy says and backs up a few steps. 

“I’m not,” Dean lies.

“Liar.” Well Andy didn’t need his Jedi mind tricks for that.

“Probably eating Christmas dinner with his family and pretending to be happy he got a tie.” Dean holds out the katana, this time catches both fans thrown together.

“I bet he’s talking about you.”

“I bet he’s not.”

“Or maybe he’s going through his offshore accounts and putting the money to buy your education at the okiya.”

Dean slings the fans back at Andy and sheathes the katana. “I think Jeffrey has a bottle of scotch in his underwear drawer,” he says as he stalks out.

It’s been like this for the past four days. He thought he would able to keep Castiel’s name a secret but apparently some of the other patrons had told Andy and Jeffrey. Dean would have told them eventually anyway out of guilt.

He slides open the shoji to their shared room, finding Jeffrey reading on his futon. “I know you’re drinking,” he says and plops down next to Jeffrey. His elbow hits something hard. He grins as he pulls out the bottle of scotch from under the blanket. Jeffrey gives up the act of reading the book and takes the bottle after Dean has had a sip.

“Nothing else to do.” Jeffrey looks back down at his book. He’s not defending himself as much as he’s explaining since Jeffrey doesn’t explain himself to anyone. Dean would say there is practice but he’s not going to become an overachiever as well as a sellout. Andy shuts the shoji behind him and sprawls out on his futon. He digs out the iPad to prop it up on his stomach.

Christmas was never special for Dean, he’s never once received a gift or had a tree. There is a tree up in the dining room but its the okiya’s tree not his. It doesn’t feel like his and it shouldn’t. His Christmas traditions were watching Die Hard in a sleazy motel room while his dad drank and he pretended it was normal.

Now he’s drinking at three in the afternoon and the thing he’s looking forward to the most is New Year’s Eve. He tries to convince himself that this doesn’t mean he sold out. He just used what he had to find out the blue-eyed man’s name. But now that he knows he feels like he needs to know something more.

“I’m putting off Japan for another six months,” Jeffrey announces without looking up. He had been slated to go after the Coming of Age ceremony in early January. Dean looks at him curiously. Rumor was he had made enough to pay off his education and get his papers singed over to Matsushita plus some, surely he didn’t need any more money since he’d be getting paid as an apprentice teacher in Japan. 

“Everything okay?” Dean thinks he would riot if his parents reneged on their agreement to sign Jeffrey’s ownership over to their sensei.

“Yes, I think I’ll just wait until it’s warm and put off a winter there.” Jeffrey is still looking at the book.

Andy and Dean exchange a quick look. Clearly neither of them believes him but is not going to argue. Their friend looks up and grins. “Besides I’ve never been to a wedding before.”

“Neither have I,” Dean says.

“Me neither,” Andy agrees. “My first one is my own. Guess that’s typical for an omega.”

“No, getting sold off and with an exchange of papers at a notary is typical for an omega,” Dean says darkly. “You’re lucky.”

“We’re all lucky,” Andy corrects. He’s right of course. “I’m going to get my driver’s license and I’m going to come see you guys on family day. Maybe I’ll even teach a little.”

“Really? What’s your picture going to look like?” Dean pulls his hood up over his head so barely the tip of his nose is visible. “Never mind that you can’t see to drive like this.” He had gotten to drive his dad’s car a few times when the old man was too drunk but they needed to split quickly. It was something he missed.

Dean pushes the hood off his head. Andy looks disappointed but doesn’t say anything else about it. In reality he will have a driver to get him wherever he wants to go when Samandriel isn’t around to do so. Wherever he is allowed to go anyway. When he was pretending to be a beta the only place he ever saw omegas was a fancy pants grocery store he accidentally went into and they were always escorted. For the life of him he can’t remember if they looked happy or not. But then again it was grocery shopping.

“You’ll be pregnant before the summer is up,” Jeffrey snorts and sits up more so he can take another pull from the scotch bottle. 

For someone that is going to move overseas and have the most freedom an omega can have Jeffrey sure is always in a mood. Dean doesn’t comment and Andy snatches the bottle out of Jeffrey’s hand. 

“Better have fun while I can then,” he says. It manages to get a smile out of Jeffrey, which makes Dean sad. Andy was talented. Sometimes it was like he read minds and he could talk himself into or out of any situation. Becoming a rich alpha’s breeder seemed to be a waste of his talents even if they were very much in love.

Andy takes a long pull off of the bottle then caps it and walks on his knees to stash it in Jeffrey’s underwear drawer. “But we should probably have fun after dinner where Matsushita won’t smell scotch on our breath.”

They return to the bottle much later. Andy puts a movie on the iPad and they curl up together under the thick blankets and watch it. His father would never have approved of this and now he’s glad. Maybe John was so delusional he thought he was helping Dean but he had been cruel and little things like sharing a bed with two other omegas to watch a movie were digs at his father that Dean could control.

Not to mention whatever was or was not going on between him and Castiel. John would have hated that, even just the prospect of them becoming friends.

Matsushita has given the children off of school from the Winter Solstice to Coming of Age day. Everyone but the three students that will be debuting on that day that is. They practice as much as the older three and Dean can’t help but feel that even though he’s going to get left behind by Andy and Jeffrey that they’re passing the torch.

When he looks at Ben he knows Adler is going to be all over him. Ben is fourteen. Sure he won’t be seventeen until his mizuage is on the table but to know that at this stage had to be harrowing. It showed in his eyes. He looked sad a lot. No one at fourteen should see a new year as the beginning of the end.

They mentor the younger boys. Dean does what he can but he knows so little compared to Andy and Jeffrey. They have four months together and then it’s over. Dean supposes that will be the end of it for him as well. Let the younger boys shine. If Castiel wants to keep up their friendship they will. Dean doesn’t want to think about how devastated he will be if they don’t.

As the new guy, Andy and Jeffrey make Dean go first when it’s time to get dressed on New Year’s Eve. It’s strange, looking at himself in the mirror and having three people dress him in clothes that totaled tens of thousands of dollars when a year ago he bought second hand clothes from a thrift shop with stolen money. 

Ben is watching but most of the other children are playing elsewhere in the okiya. Dean smiles over at him then looks in the mirror and cranes his neck to see what he’s being dressed in today. A blood red dragon’s tail surrounds the hem, the snake like body trailing up the back, its head resting of Dean’s shoulder. The base is black this time, making the red of the juban stand out.

They could follow Dean around with a huge light up sign that said virginal and available, which is what the red signified, but it didn’t mean he was for sale. 

It’s difficult to sit in a car with the enormous bow like obi knot on his back but he supposes Andy and Jeffrey have it worse with the long pieces that almost hit the ground. The drive takes three hours and Dean has had no indication Castiel will be there from his teacher for the past six days and the rain is putting him in a foul mood.

He twists his face up in disgust. He’s becoming Jeffrey.

No he isn’t. It’s just rainy and gross and he has to sit funny in the car because of his clothes. That would put any one in a bad mood. Dean huffs and shifts and closes his eyes. If only he could nap in the car like he used to.

Matsushita pulls his SUV into the horseshoe drive of the hotel but doesn’t get very far with all of the traffic. Dean looks up to see the height of it then scans the people getting out at the valet ahead of them. There are rich alphas getting out of their cars in expensive tuxedos, women in dresses that gave the expensive kimono they were wearing a run for their money.

They stop and go a bit before Dean’s door is opened for him and a hand is offered to help him out. He doesn’t need help but snapping at the poor valet isn’t going to get him anywhere so he just takes the proffered hand and thanks him as he’s helped up the curb.

People seem to get a little quieter, the sound of camera shutters are going off, both real and digital. Dean smiles politely and waits for the others to join him. A tiny Japanese woman in some of the tallest heels Dean has ever seen ushers them inside. Well, without being on a stripper. Her and Matsushita confer for a few moments while the three stand off to the side.

Jeffrey elbows him gently then gestures behind their teacher and the hostess, looking pointedly. Dean follows the gesturing, lips quirking to one side of this face as he sees what Jeffrey is pointing out to him. 

There are four honest to god Japanese geisha talking to what could be two Japanese taikomochi but they’re not wearing hoods so Dean isn’t sure. The geisha’s faces are white, their hair styled traditionally, their kimono don’t have hoods and he can see their necks and some of their backs. Now they’re looking over at the three Americans, making Dean feel like an imposter. 

“They probably think we’re shams,” he mutters and looks away.

“What?” Andy looks at him then shakes his head. “No, if they’re looking at us it’s because you’re freakishly tall.” 

“I can’t wait to get to Japan,” mutters Jeffrey, “I’m never going to be hooded again.”

Dean looks back over. They look just as nervous as the Americans. “I’m going to go talk to them.”

“Your Japanese is shit,” Andy teases but starts moving. 

“Well then, hopefully so is their English,” Dean says with a laugh and makes his way around the room to the group. It’s not hard despite how crowded it is. People move for them even if they’re still taking pictures.

Everyone bows and Dean makes introductions, not bothering to try to speak Japanese just yet. They seem to understand and introduce themselves back. There is some broken conversation that does switch back and forth between languages but everyone is smiling and laughing. 

Dean tries his damnedest not to stare at the two Japanese omegas. They’re not hooded, making Dean wonder what the reaction was to them outside of this party, and their hair is styled like pop stars, not cut short like the American’s hair hidden under their hoods. Even though everyone is being polite and joking around, Dean can tell the Japanese pity them and he hates it.

He doesn’t need pity. What he needs is where he lives to change. He reminds himself that pity is a natural reaction to seeing someone be mistreated and brushes off his feelings of inadequacy. The group for Japan seems just as happy to talk with them as they were. One of the geisha says she also practices kendo, one of the taikomochi from Japan loves over the American top action movies. They’re easy to talk to and damn it, Dean is actually having fun.

Matsushita comes over and explains, in Japanese then in English that they’re going to do some group photos and then they’ll go open up the celebration together. The tiny Japanese lady in her impressive shoes leads them to a backdrop and tells them how she wants them situated. Dean has to sit seiza in the middle of course, being the tallest. 

The first sound of the shutter is going off when he feels someone looking at him. Dean turns his head slightly and sees Castiel beaming at him. His own smile gets more honest. He flicks his fingers subtly so Castiel will move so he’s standing in front of him.

_You look good._ At least that’s what Dean thinks Castiel is mouthing at him. Castiel taps his shoulder mirroring where the dragon’s head would be on Dean’s kimono. Dean barely moves his hand but he jabs his index finger in Castiel’s direction and mouths, _you too_ , when the photographer changes lenses.

Castiel gestures at himself then shrugs. _It’s black again._

Dean is instructed to turn slightly so they can get the obi in frame. He exhales exasperatedly, looking only at Castiel who responds by reaching into his tuxedo jacket and pulling out the flask with a big smile then tucks it back in.

_Oh thank the gods_ , Dean mouths, hand to his chest in a mock faint.

“Having fun?” Andy whispers with a laugh.

“Jealous?” Dean responds, smiling bigger than before.

Pictures go on for longer than he would normally be comfortable with but with Castiel standing across from him and cracking mouthed and pantomimed jokes it’s bearable. As soon as the photographer is done Castiel is there, holding out his hand to Dean help up.

He’s about to open his mouth and say something sarcastic about modeling but Matsushita tells them to head to the side of the stage in the ballroom. Castiel leads everyone with Dean, their arms hooked together. He subtly passes off the flask to him and as they move into the side area of the stage. Dean sips from it then slips it back into Castiel’s pocket. His fingers graze some sort of harness and when he looks at Castiel curiously he gets a shrug in response.

“I’m never truly off duty,” he says apologetically. It takes a moment but Dean slowly nods once. Shoulder holster. He smirks. Castiel was a badass. He was becoming best friends with a badass.

“I’m going to introduce you as James Bond,” Dean teases then stops. “Wait, I don’t know your last name.”

“Use Novak, I’ll tell you my real one later,” he whispers. Dean smirks, when he finds it out, that’s what he’s going to hold dear to himself. That’s what no one will know but him. Though he wonders why someone that works security needs a fake last name. Dean makes the introductions, grinning when Castiel responds in perfect Japanese. 

Matsushita explains what they’re to do while they’re waiting for people to file into the ballroom. Castiel excuses himself to go stand on the edge of the crowd while Dean and the rest escort the host up the stage and stand behind him while he makes a speech. He keeps eye contact with Castiel the entire time, grinning at the secret he will soon know.

When the speeches are over Dean is requested at the owner of the hotel’s table. Castiel follows but hangs back practically invisible. Wherever Dean is directed Castiel follows, watching, and it’s strange how Dean doesn’t care. It’s comforting even. Taikomoch always have an escort, Dean has been one, but to have someone that he actually wants there is so odd.

An hour after the party has started Castiel finally cuts in, helping Dean up from the floor and excusing him from the businessmen. He’s got two rocks glasses half filled with amber liquid balanced in his free hand, one of which he passes off as they walk. 

“Didn’t think you would mind, you looked bored,” he says and guides Dean over to a bar table against the wall. He pulls out the chair for Dean then sits himself, back towards the wall.

“Understatement,” Dean says emphatically and scoots his chair in. He looks around the party. There’s a band playing, people are dancing. It’s typical except for the few floating around in kimono.

“Angelin,” Castiel says as pulls something out of his pants pocket. Dean snaps his attention back. “That’s my last name.”

Yeah, he’s going to keep that to himself. “It suits you,” Dean responds with a smile. “I guess you figure yourself a guardian angel, with your fancy omega born first name and security job.”

“Well you do obviously.” Castiel raises his eyebrows then offers the slender box with both hands. “I got you something.”

Dean feels the heat in his cheeks but just smiles and takes the box. He shakes it open and pushes aside the tissue paper. “Aww Cas, you got me something to kill myself with.” The nickname just comes out but Castiel doesn’t seem to mind. Dean picks up the small knife and holds it up to eye level.

“You know the significance?” Castiel seems impressed.

“All I do is practice with swords and read books about swords,” Dean responds and pulls the knife free from its dark wooden sheath, inlayed with mother of pearl. It’s about ten inches long and looks like a miniature double-edged katana. “It’s a kwaiken right? If I’m going to be killed anyway I slit my throat with it so they don’t get to.”

“I’d prefer if you slit theirs,” Castiel says darkly.

“Don’t worry, I would.” Dean sheathes the blade and tucks it into this obi. “Glad certain people aren’t here, I’d be tempted to test it out.”

“It’s very old, I’m sure it’s efficient.” Castiel picks up his glass and swirls the liquid in it.

“A dead guy knife! How old is it?” Dean sips his own drink, smiling the whole time.

“Several dead guys,” he agrees then takes a sip of his own drink. “The sheath and handle were guessed by an appraiser to be four hundred years old, the blade seems to have been replaced with in the last hundred years or so.”

“That _is_ a lot of dead guys.” Dean nods sagely then breaks into a smile. Castiel got him a very old, rare knife after only talking to him once. He didn’t deserve someone this thoughtful. Dean reminds himself that Cas isn’t his.

They sit for a few minutes silently, people watching and nodding along to the classic rock being played by the band. It’s a bit too poppy for Dean’s taste but it’s better than what could be played. He finds the silence not uncomfortable, just two people enjoying being near each other.

“Do you dance?” Castiel asks suddenly. 

“Uh,” Dean eyes the dance floor and then Castiel. “I um wiggle a little, sometimes step on my own feet.” He points his finger upwards like he’s making a very important point. “Once I nodded my head.”

“Yet you seem to float in your kendo practice.”

Dean blinks. Castiel is teasing him. He’s being nice and poking fun to have a good time. They really are becoming friends. “Yeah, fine, I’ll dance.”

Castiel gets up and offers his hand. Dean doesn’t know what makes someone capable of bearing children need a helping hand in the most basic of tasks. No one offers an alpha or beta male their hand to get up. It’s women and omegas. 

As soon as their feet step onto the dance floor the band switches from one of those classic pop-rock songs anyone can dance to to something slow. 

“I uh,” Castiel looks back at the table they came from, giving Dean the out if he wants it.

“Stop, we walked all the way over here, we’ll just look dumb if we go back.” He kicks off his geta and takes Castiel’s hand to guide him onto the dance floor, then turns and looks at him. “Okay, tell me what to do.”

Of course he’s the perfect teacher. Castiel doesn’t do anything untowards, he keeps his hands on the obi and Dean’s hand, he gives concise, whispered instructions so Dean doesn’t look like a moron that never bothered to learn to dance with his patrons. Andy had mentioned giving him lessons but they concentrated on the kendo kata and the play.

No, Castiel is damn near perfect and Dean thinks he might be the best friend he’s ever had. They goof off to the next song then head off the dance floor. Dean gets flagged down at a large low table that one of the Japanese taikomochi are sitting at with an big group of people. He know he has to so he lowers himself down but is pleasantly surprised when they make room for Castiel.

Castiel sits across from him. His Japanese is so much better so he translates what Dean doesn’t understand. They drink too much, they laugh at jokes, Castiel tells a few terrible ones of his own. He’s actually having fun and other people are enjoying his company.

Thirty minutes before midnight the taikomochi and geisha called to pass out champagne on the balcony where the fireworks are visible. Dean shoves his geta at Castiel on under the table and winks at him. He’s too tall in them anyway and no one will be looking at his feet. They’re all already drunk anyway. So is he but that doesn’t matter. When everyone has a glass he finds Castiel in the back of the balcony Dean’s geta looped by the thong around one finger.

Dean hands him a full champagne flute and just looks at him for a solid minute before tucking himself against him. They’re too close for polite society but the entirely or society is pretty damn drunk right now and he’s pretty sure no one will notice.

Everyone yells the countdown, then clinks their glasses together, including Dean and Castiel but when most everyone else makes out or hugs their friends, they just look at each other and smile. Until Castiel steps forward.

“Happy New Year’s, Dean,” Castiel says only loud enough to be heard over the din. He leans in and kisses Dean’s cheek then pulls away smiling.

A warm flush spreads over Dean’s entire body. “Happy New Year’s, Castiel.”


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *masturbation warning*

Despite Andy’s insistence, Dean isn't in love. He just has a new best friend that gave him a really awesome gift and he spent the entirety if New Year's Eve with. And kissed him after the clock struck twelve. He's totally not getting lubed up when he thinks about a kiss on the cheek. First kiss ever. First welcomed kiss ever anyway. 

That was life for an omega passing as a beta. No human touch or contact, no sex. If he got aroused he got wet and if he got wet anyone could smell it. Once he masturbated to a porno in a hotel room. Two days later when his father returned he got yelled at and beat for stinking up the place. He hadn't touched himself since then. 

But now there was an itch under his skin, a desire that had had been beat out if him until now. He knew the others did it. Many times he went to shower only to find a sock or obihime hanging from the doorknob. Omegas were not the asexual beings others wanted them to be. Treated right they enjoyed sex. Andy certainly liked his time with Sammy and Dean had been embarrassed at how much he had enjoyed himself. 

So he stands there with a dull thrum running through his body, looking at the door to the bathroom like it might have some answer. Maybe he was just going into heat. Since his body had flushed itself of years of missed heats it was merely an annoyance like Andy had promised. Usually now he was just horny and hungry. 

A part of Dean wants it to be his heat because that would mean Castiel didn't mean as much to him as he fears. He finally pushes through the door and upon finding the bathroom empty, lifts up one foot to undo the buttons down the back of his ankle then lay the sock over the door knob and close the door gently. 

Dean starts a shower in one of the stalls and strips the rest of the way before getting in. He looks down then at himself in the mirror, as hard as an omega can get, body flushed and filling the humid room with his own scent. His whole life he was conditioned to hate that smell but here it was just a part of life, something to be taken care of discretely, but just a part of life. The shower curtain is shut with a snap of plastic, not wanting to actually look at himself while he did this.

He doesn't know how to do this standing. It makes him feel stupid. He'll be twenty this month and he's masturbated once in his short life. Dean sighs and slips his hand over his ass to rest fingertips just over his hole. Nobody better come on because just that slight touch and he was ready for more. 

Slick covers his fingers almost immediately despite the water running over him. He rests his head against the shower wall, legs spread just a bit, and presses two fingers in. Well that felt really fucking good and he wasn't even doing anything yet. Carefully he thrusts, eyes squeezed shut. After a few seconds he gets over himself and starts feeling around experimentally inside of himself. 

Dean gasps and pulls away from the shower wall look surprised. Then his knees felt wobbly and he had to lean against it again. There it was. He moves his fingers more, digging into the spot that was making him gasp and sigh. It was getting hard to stand or think straight. The entirety of his body seemed to be shuddering and teeting on the cusp of something.

"Cas!" 

His eyes go wide, his fingers slowly leave his body. He doesn't need them any more because his heart is pounding, his entire body feels like he's on those narcotic pain pills he had once, and there is a slimy trail of white heading down his thigh. 

Dean decides not to think about the name he just uttered when he came because avoiding the situation has always worked so well for him in the past. He showers quickly and dresses then heads to the toilet stalls to get some room spray to cover up his odor.

He collects the indicator tabi from the doorknob and starts to head down the hall to the laundry. His duties have been greatly cut back since starting to entertain as taikomochi but he still has to help out like everyone else. 

Kimono are sent off for dry cleaning but with fifty students there are plenty of undergarments and towels to be washed. Dean starts a load in one of the washers and starts folding up the towels from one of the dryers. He’s happy for the isolation, explaining to Jeffrey and Andy what was going on between Castiel and himself was exhausting. It was nothing, they were becoming fast friends. 

He heads down to the bathroom to restock towels. The evidence of what he had done in there was gone now. Good. There are a few students using showers now, hopefully they hadn’t been looking to use it a bit earlier.

“Dean!” He’s leaving the bathroom when he hears his name. It’s Ben, coming out of one of the center stalls and wrapping a towel around his waist. “Matsushita just came in here, called out your name, then left. I’m not sure what he wants.”

“Was he panicky? Pissed?” Dean likes to know the situation he’s heading into, especially when dealing with their sensei. He hears pounding towards the front of the okiya. Was that the door? Something isn’t right.

“Ben, don’t let anyone go past the classrooms okay?” Dean’s voice is urgent but his face stony. “Tell Andy and Jeffrey I need them to keep everyone in their dorm rooms okay. Make it a game if you guys gave to.”

“Dean?” Ben looks scared. 

“Just humor me, please,” he asks as he leaves Ben to go to the practice room. Dean might be over reacting but there was a reason why Matsushita was looking for the biggest omega in the okiya and now there seems to be someone pounding the door. 

The practice room is empty, Dean rushes to the screen hidden storage area and withdraws the katana. Something feels wrong. Maybe it’s experience from living on streets for so long or maybe it’s omega instinct reacting to the possibility that children are in danger like those hokey books teach but something is off. 

Dean heads down the hall then stops at the door to the foyer to lean the katana against the doorjamb. He doesn’t want to seem like a hysterical omega but at the same time he doesn’t want to be unprepared. After a deep breath he steps through the first door, finding Matsushita peering through the peephole.

“I believe that your father is here,” he says calmly. Dean feels his heart plummet to his stomach. “He’s been yelling about this school making a whore of his son.” Matsushita turns his head to look at Dean. “His son named Dean.”

Dean swallows and nods. So it’s not a drug deranged alpha looking to make the pick of young nubile omegas but it’s almost as bad.

“I will be right outside the foyer,” Matsushita says and hands the front door key to Dean. He’s also holding his mobile phone. “I eagerly await your decision.”

Dean’s mouth drops open. His decision? He looks at the key in his hand. Oh. He could leave now, go with his father and Matsushita wouldn’t stop him.

The door shuts behind him and for a moment he stares at the one in front of him. On the other side was relative freedom, this side had the same relativeness. His hand rests on the handle as the other inserts the key.

“I’m opening it up,” he says loudly. John stops yelling.

He hasn’t answered this door without his hood since he came here. The only alpha that’s seen him without one since that time was the doctor his sensei had arranged to make sure he wasn’t permanently damaged. 

Damaged. Meaning infertile. Was that how he wanted to be measured? No. His hand turns the handle and he’s faced with the visage of the man that left him to rot in a prison and be handed over to authorities. He could be in a mental institution right now.

“Dean?” John’s face is contorted with anger and disgust. There is a magazine clenched in his hand and he’s wearing clothes Dean has never seen before. It seems off. The car behind his father isn’t the big body Impala Dean had loved so much. He looks at his own sock covered feet and snorts softly, guessing John had ditched everything after Dean got arrested.

“Yeah,” he says sheepishly. The hood is still off and with the door open he feels naked. His mind argues with itself. Tried to protect you versus took almost a year to come find you.

"You’re really doing this?" John sound so disappointed. Dean’s heart sinks. “Why are you wearing that?”

Dean looks down at the kimono then up at his father. "It's sort of my uniform," he replies feebly, finger tracing over the fine brocade of his lapel. He had just started to like them. He missed jeans and sprawling out on cheap motel beds but loved being comfortable and knowing that futon he didn’t have to put away was his and only his.

"This is unbelievable. Let's go!"

Dean starts to take a step forward but thinks for a second. What was waiting for him out there? Credit card scams? Hustling poker and pool? Drug and weapons running? What was waiting for him behind him? Kids that needed him, a job. Friends. For the first time in his life he had friends. "No."

"Excuse me?" John looks incredulous. Dean’s fist clenches and releases.

He knows he should explain but he doesn’t. His chin raises a little higher. "No. You don't have my papers. It would be considered kidnapping."

John huffs indignantly. "You don't have papers."

"Yeah I do actually. Sam has them. The court appointed social worker signed them over to him when I got arrested." He inclines his head slightly. "Now the okiya owns them but that doesn't matter. Remember Sam? He's the son you wanted. Alpha. And you almost killed him."

For a split second john looks like he's going to argue. "I know he's an alpha we had him tested the same time as you. Your mother went all soft on you as soon as that screen popped up with your..." He gestures at Dean's abdomen. 

"Womb," Dean replies flatly. 

"Whatever. She started looking up schools like this. Started buying you robes and hoods. I tried to explain you just needed toughening up but she wouldn't listen to reason."

"Burning the house down was certainly reasonable," Dean snorts. 

“I was trying to save you from this,” comes the irritated retort. 

“From an education?” He shifts and crosses his arms, decision made. No more running. “Do you think mom would have let me be put in a whore house?” 

“This isn’t a whore house?” John looks around the foyer before leveling his eyes on Dean again.

“It’s a school.” His voice is firm. He hasn’t seen much of the world but one thing is for certain, this was better than being locked away until becoming fertile. Ultimately it had the same end result but there was choice here. Dean presses his lips together and tilts his head, considering his father. “How did you find me?”

John throws the magazine at him. The flutter of paper takes Dean by surprise but he catches it and smoothes it out so he can look at it. It’s the local entertainment magazine and on the cover is himself and the rest of the entertainers from the New Year’s Eve party. There is a banner superimposed across the bottom that says ‘The Best New Year’s Parties that You weren’t Invited To’. Dean snorts and smiles at the magazine before looking back up at his father. “Well you would have been invited if you’d enrolled me in here from the start.”

"You're an ungrateful shit and a terrible son."

"You raised me." 

“Everything I did was to keep you safe from this!” With every word John’s voice raises. He takes a step forward and rakes his eyes over Dean’s clothing. 

Dean steels himself. “I was real safe when I was nearly raped in prison.”

There is no answer, just the slamming of a door and the start of an engine. Dean pinches the bridge of his nose and wills himself angry instead of sad. John said it himself. His mother wanted him in a good school. It was likely that he would have ended up here anyway. He sinks to sit on the step that separates the area for shoes from the entryway to the house.

Maybe fate was real. What if he had ended up in exactly this spot if his father had accepted his omega son? Dean chews on his lower lip. He has very few options but they’re his options. Matsushita will let him decide.

Dean gets up and heads through the door. The front room’s door is open and his teacher is sitting on the couch, turning his phone in his hands. “I didn’t call the police,” he says as he stands.

“Thanks,” he replies gratefully. Dean pauses and thinks about dropping his question but it must be written all over his face because Matsushita gestures for him to go on. “If I wanted to teach, properly teach I’d need a degree right?”

“Schools that hire omegas rarely require them, but it would help.” Matsushita looks amused. “How do you think you’ll go about obtaining this degree.”

“Well they have classes online right? And no one’s going to drive over here and make sure they’re not accidentally giving an omega a degree. Just like one of those two year degrees or something, but I guess I need a GED first.” His mouth and nose scrunch up as he considers it.

“How do you intend to pay for it?” The sensei still looks amused but his tone is encouraging.

“You’re going to pay for it, sensei,” Dean says confidently. “And I’m going to make you a crap ton of money to pay you back and buy my own papers.”

“True emancipation is exceedingly rare.” Matsushita knows Dean knows this but it needs to be said. 

Dean leans in as if to tell a secret. “I’m a six foot tall omega in a kimono, I’m about as rare as they get.”

Matsushita sucks in his bottom lip like he’s trying not to laugh then cracks a big smile despite himself. “Find a program and let me know where I need to send payment.”


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A lot of underage drinking (but I think they deserve it)

It turns out you can take practice tests and classes online for your GED, for free even, but the actual test has to be taken in person. Dean is devastated. He bitches about it to no end. Life wasn’t fair for an omega, when was it ever, but what was the point of not educating an omega? Didn’t alphas want their children raised by someone that could help them in school? Dean answers his own question. Omegas didn’t raise children, not normally, they bred them. Child rearing was left to beta nannies and schoolteachers. Commonly, the children were handed off after weaning. Not that this okiya was the kind of place that let alphas with that mindset court their omegas.

He considers showing up anyway, making a big scene, but he would probably just be seen as a hysterical omega stereotype and that’s the last thing he needs. The thing is there is, nothing in the rules that says an omega cannot take the test. It says a person. He’s a person, regardless of his lack of personhood and has a birth certificate and ID number thanks to Mr. Singer. But he doesn’t want anything to reflect badly on the okiya and an unruly omega demanding special privileges would do just that.

For some reason he keeps up his studying though, just in case something changes or so he can teach at Matsushita’s okiya or another one. Mrs. Harvelle tutors him in math and he starts with the fifth grade science books, intending to progress up through the high school books. There isn’t any reason that these children should not be receiving high school diplomas, much less GEDs. Their education in the core subjects is identical.

Between studying and getting the younger students ready, Coming of Age Day arrives fast. Ben looks like he can’t decide whether he’s miserable or happy. He won’t talk about it and Dean is not one to push so he leaves him alone. 

For everyone else, Coming of Age day happens in college when they are in their twentieth year, for omegas it’s when they’re closest to turning fifteen. Ben won’t be fifteen until June but it’s still closer than next year. Kevin turned fifteen in December. He seems more 

Even though Matsushita’s huge Acura SUV fits seven Samandriel shows up to help drive the students down to San Franciso where the event is taking place. It’s a huge ordeal. There are four okiyas in America and every one of them is flying their debuting students into San Francisco for the occasion. Except for them, since they live in Northern California. The Matsushita okiya students get to sit in cars for six hours. Compared to planes, Dean isn’t sure what’s worse.

He rides with Samandriel and Andy, letting Jeffrey deal with the kids and Matsushita. Samandriel’s Mercedes is even more impressive from the inside and according to the gentle natured alpha, it even parallel parks itself. 

Dean watches the forests and spread apart homes of Northern California turn into suburban sprawl and high rises from his spot in the back seat. He complains about the issues with his schooling. Samandriel promises to look into the legal aspects of him getting his GED and doing online community college classes but Dean’s pretty pessimistic about the whole thing.

They’ve spent all day in a car and there isn’t much anyone wants to do when they get to the hotel but eat and get in bed. Dean requests a booth, somewhere away from tourists with camera phones when they head to the hotel restaurant. There isn’t one big enough for all of them so Samandriel and Andy take a different one next to them, since they’ll be discussing wedding plans.

He looks around the restaurant, while they wait on their drinks. People are staring, taking pictures with their phones but keeping their distance. Their attention shifts to the new group of omegas coming in and Dean is glad for it.

“This is like the tri-wizard tournament,” Kevin laughs under his breath.

“Except we’re the competitors and the prize,” Ben replies darkly and grabs for the breadbasket in the middle of the table. Jeffrey slaps his hand away.

“Don’t eat that, you’ll be all bloated,” he snips.

“I won’t,” Dean says and grabs a slice of crusty French bread. Jeffrey glares at him and Ben ducks his head, looking dejected. Dean grabs another piece and hands it to him under the table while Jeffrey is looking at the other omegas. 

Like them, everyone from the other okiya is dressed simply for travel in dark colors and taiko knot obis. The other school in the restaurant is huge compared to them with ten omegas making their debut. He wonders how big the other two schools are.

Dean finds himself looking out the huge windows across the restaurant and watching the men that go by on their way to check into the hotel. He can tell a cheap suit from an expensive one now and recognize logos on luggage to tell that these men are the high rollers. Japanese, white, every race is here to see the new crop of expensive omegas. Something else well made and beautiful to accessorize with. 

Every tan coat catches his eye but he’s not sure if Castiel could make it. Dean isn’t even sure of where he lives or how far he travels for his bi-monthly lunches with Matsushita. He had promised to try to get here and Dean knows that he absolutely meant it, but trying was different from being able to give a definitive answer.

When he sees him, Dean’s face lights up. He tries to scramble to get over Ollie, the other debuting student, but Matsushita rests his hand on his arm and shakes his head. God damnit, he wanted to hang out with his friend. He was stuck with these people every day, Castiel was different.

Jeffrey rolls his eyes when Dean slumps back into the seat, head ducked so the hood falls over his face even more. He orders a burger and fries when the waitress comes back, ignoring Matsushita who is tapping at his phone and being very quiet as usual. The table is silent now, everyone sharing silent sympathy with Dean. He appreciates it but sympathy is too close pity for his tastes.

“May I have this seat?”

Dean looks up and cracks a lopsided grin. There isn’t a seat where Castiel is standing but he’s got a chair in his hand, obviously stolen from the table near them.

“Cas!” Shit, he used a diminutive nickname. That simply wasn’t done for alphas. Omegas had their names shortened, never alphas. “Sorry,” he mumbles and perks up. The group at the table seems to liven up as well. 

“It’s fine,” he replies as he sets the chair at the end of the booth and lowers himself to seated. “How are you?”

“Great!” Dean would kill for some privacy. The waitress returns to see if Castiel needs anything. He doesn’t have a menu but looks expectantly at Dean then back at the waitress.

“I’ll have whatever he’s having,” he says then turns his attention back to the table.

Dean tries not to beam but is pretty sure he’s failing miserably. It’s not that Castiel got the same food. Well it is but it’s deeper than that. Castiel trusted his taste, they’ve talked about food, and wanted to focus on the people at the table, not make this about him.

Though in a happier mood, everyone is quiet and he can feel Samandriel’s eyes boring into the back of his head from the booth behind him.

“Good trip?” Dean asks feebly. He straightens his hood so it’s not completely covering his face, just on enough to be polite.

“Relaxing,” Castiel replies. He’s wearing a blue tie. Dean totally doesn’t notice that it compliments his eyes. He also totally doesn’t wonder what Castiel looks like when he’s not wearing a suit. Does he own jeans? Damn Dean missed jeans. Maybe when all this was over he’d just wear a snood scarf with jeans and t-shirts. Snood was a funny word.

“Did you just say ‘snood is a funny word’?” Ben is looking at him critically, making Dean panic. How much did he say out loud? Did Cas hear him say he wondered what he looked like out of suit? He hadn’t meant naked, well that would be nice, but he had meant in jeans or something.

Stop thinking, he chastises himself internally. Castiel probably thinks he’s some sort of freak.

“Well it is,” Dean states defensively. 

“Like moist or defenestrate,” Castiel chimes in. Dean smiles, lips bitten together. Was Cas flirting? Was the nickname okay? He decides to ask him later in private.

“Defenestrate is funny because it’s really specific,” Dean says, relaxing now that they were joking around. Even Ben looks happier and Matsushita has put away his phone. He was probably texting Castiel to come eat with them.

“It’s breviloquent.” Castiel’s expression is amused and is solely looking at Dean.

“Short even,” he replies, smiling back.

Their food arrives. Jeffrey made the younger boys order salads so Dean sneaks French fries onto their plates when he isn’t looking. Castiel notices and starts placing them on the edges of their plates as well. Jeffrey notices but doesn’t say anything since Castiel is participating. 

They goof off and joke about long drives and Dean being perplexed by all the buttons in Samandriel’s S-Class. Castiel admits he doesn’t know what all his do himself. They sit around the table long after the plates have been cleared, Samandriel and Andy crowding chairs into the space as well. Castiel scoots his closer to Dean, grinning at him.

The wedding comes up of course. Matsushita is going to give Andy away. The wording would be very appropriate if Samandriel hadn’t spent a large amount of money on paying off Andy’s schooling. Dean thinks about how he’s going to pay off his, drumming his fingers on the table. Mizuage was the easiest way, but he would only do that if he could be sure Castiel would buy it. Then again he didn’t want Cas to buy it, he wanted to be able to give it to him. Freely, because Dean had paid for his own schooling.

No one makes a move to get up until they’re starting to physically droop and yawn. Castiel checks his watch and announces it’s late. Dean cranes his neck to look at it and Castiel holds it up so he can see. Nearly eleven. 

Samandriel kisses Andy on the cheek then excuses himself. Dean grins at Castiel, not sure what to do. He gets a squeeze on the shoulder. Disappointing but then again they had a fair amount of alcohol in their systems on New Year’s. Dean grins back anyway.

“Was it a nice watch?” Jeffrey asks slyly as they board the elevator.

“What? I don’t know. Does it matter?” Dean shrugs off the question.

“You were looking to see if it was nice,” he counters, arms crossing and a knowing look being shot Dean’s way.

“I was looking to see what time it was.” That really was all it was.

Jeffrey rolls his eyes like he doesn’t quite believe Dean and leans against the wall of the elevator. “What was it?”

“Breitling, I think.” Maybe if he just tells Jeffrey he’ll shut up. 

“So really nice.”

“It doesn’t matter because I’m not gold digging,” he snaps and pushes out of the elevator when it dings serendipitously, cutting the conversation short. 

Dean feels dumb though because he has to wait for Matsushita to come open up the door to the room for him. Jeffrey cuts in front of him when the door is opened. Okay, so he’s in a mood, steer clear, Dean tells himself silently and looks through the rooms to find his bag so he can go brush his teeth. He’s tired of defending himself and just plain tired.

The large suite has multiple rooms, he finds his bag in the room with the two queen beds. Jeffrey has staked claim on the bed closest to the window and he’s sitting on the side, looking out the window. Dean wordlessly goes through his bag, looking for his bathroom kit.

“If you can gold dig you should,” Jeffrey says, still facing to the window. “I’m not saying that Andy is, but finding Samandriel is the closest thing one of us gets to happiness.”

Dean looks through the open door at Andy sitting on the big king size bed with the three younger students, watching the performance they’re to do tomorrow on his iPad. “You don’t think you’ll be happy in Japan?”

“It will be the closest thing I can get to happiness,” he says flatly. “If you continuously go after the unattainable you’re never going to be happy. For us it’s better to settle on the next best thing and smile like it’s what we wanted.”

“I refuse,” Dean replies with a shake of his head and leaves for the bathroom. He can hear Jeffrey opening his mouth again but doesn’t quite catch the words.

When he’s done showering and brushing his teeth he slips back into the room. Andy is waiting for his turn in the bathroom but Jeffrey is already in the bed, covers pulled over his head. They just smile at each other and switch places, Andy heading for the bathroom, Dean using the bed to fold up the kimono properly. Jeffrey’s is thrown across the desk chair of course, so he folds that up too and puts it in his bag. 

The younger boys are giggling and talking so it’s hard to get to sleep despite how exhausted he is, but he’s out before Andy slips in bed with him.

When he wakes up, it’s because Ollie has crawled into bed as well but comes bearing gifts. “Do they always send us food?” He asks and takes a big bite of the slice of pepperoni pizza he’s holding. 

Dean cracks open one eye and grins before stretching, accidentally knocking Andy in the face. “Usually,” he says drowsily. “It’s better when it’s booze, though.”

“Sensei says we’re only to drink sake and only tiny amounts,” Ollie retorts and shoves the pizza box at him.

“Sensei says we’re not supposed to eat in bed but look at how well you’re listening to that.” Dean shoots the younger boy a knowing look as he takes a slice. He elbows Andy in the ribs. “Wake up, your fiancé sent junk food again and we need to eat it before Jeffrey throws it all away.”

He looks over at the clock. Eleven. Yeah, he could get used to sleeping in and having food brought to him in bed. Ollie jumps off the bed, leaving the pizza box there. Dean can hear Matsushita telling the boys to be ready to be dressed at five PM. They have a while so he fishes the remote off the table between the beds and turns on the TV.

Jeffrey groans and rolls over glaring at Dean then rolls his eyes when he sees the pizza. He pulls the pillow over his head and stays there for a while. When he gets up almost an hour later he actually grabs a piece though, cold as it is, citing the fact that supposedly the pizza is really different overseas and he probably won’t eat much of it.

Dean doesn’t tease Jeffrey because the statement last night about settling has him worried. If Jeffrey is depressed he doesn’t need Dean coming down on him the one time he allows himself a treat, even if it is just pizza.

They watch movies and sit around in bed, waiting for the call. If the younger students have to start getting dressed at five it means the rest need to be done by then. Of course they wait to the last possible minute then scramble to get into their clothes.

The older students are dressed in more muted colors again because today is not about them. Dean still wears the red under-robe though he hates having his virginal status put on display. Not that he’s embarrassed about being a virgin, it’s just not for sale and never will be. He tucks the kwaiken in between the layers of his silver obi, smiling at it as he does. The little knife has been worn every day since he received it from Castiel, it’s one of the few things Dean owns. 

Andy insists that they crowd around his iPad and get a picture of them, unhooded and smiling. Dean holds the tablet out since he’s the tallest and fumbles to get the picture taken. Andy is smiling the biggest because he has nothing to lose, while Dean and Jeffrey look guarded but happy.

At the designated time everyone heads into the living room of the suite to help the boys get dressed. Jeffrey helps the most but he needs the practice since he’ll be expected to do this backwards and forwards once he gets to Japan. Ollie goes first while Dean sits on the big bed with Ben and Kevin and Andy play scrabble on the iPad.

Ben obviously needs cheering up but Dean is at a loss for what to say. He’d never lie to the kid, false hope was worse than no hope in his book, but he could tell that Ben needed encouragement. Dean knew the kid wasn’t welcome at his mother’s home. Ben’s mother had remarried after Ben’s dad split and the okiya schooling was to keep him out of the house. The new husband had never come to family days but the good news was that he paid for every aspect of Ben’s schooling. When he was done he would have no money to pay to the okiya. If anyone had a shot at a real education, it was Ben.

“You know I’m not one for sugar coating,” Dean finally states, voice almost at a whisper, “but it’s really not that bad. Stick to the old Japanese guys, they’re married, unhappy, and just crave attention.”

Ben looks at Dean then nods slowly. “Jeffrey told me the same thing. He calls them whales or marks.”

Dean laughs. “Sounds like Jeffrey.”

Ollie is getting finished up so Ben stands to strip down to the red undergarment. “That’s all they’ll ever be to me,” he says defiantly.

Good, Dean thinks silently. He doesn’t lump Castiel in with the rest of them. Castiel was Matsushita’s friend, and only recently started coming out to events like these. It’s not lost on Dean that he started after they met but he doesn’t think it’s solely about him. He was busy with his job and apparently used to come out to some things because some people seemed to know him.

Once the three are dressed in their elaborate furisodes and obi that nearly touch the ground, Matsushita goes over some last minute things. Dean rushes to brush his teeth because the last thing he needs is to have pizza breath while he’s trying to look after Ben tonight.

Downstairs the debuting students are ushered off for finale practice and portraits while Dean and the other older ones mill around the bar. Jeffrey cons the bartender into a few gin and tonics that they sip as they watch people take pictures of them. The Japanese taikomochi are back, waving politely from their spot across the bar. 

After conferring with each other for a second or two the American’s head over to pile into the other booth. They talk using mostly Japanese, Dean has to struggle to keep up but he’s been studying like crazy so it’s not a total loss. It’s strange that none of the other schools’ older students are down here but they chalk it up to being bigger and taking longer to get ready.

As soon as seven thirty rolls around they’re sitting on the side stage and waiting for opening ceremonies to begin. Dean is honestly bored and just scanning the crowd from his hidden spot to see if he can see Castiel. Andy finds him first, sitting with Samandriel.

With the opening speeches done Matsushita’s little okiya is the first to go with the dances. The sensei plays alone on the shamisen while the boys dance. It’s brilliantly choreographed and performed, very traditional. Ben doesn’t look nervous or miserable which Dean thinks might be because he actually likes the artistic side of being taikomochi despite hating being separated from his mother and the real world.

They do fantastic. When the curtains close, Ben starts fanning himself with one of his fans and rolls his eyes as he comes to sit next to Dean. “Those lights get hot!” Jeffrey is right there with bottles of water for them to cool off with then they all sit together to watch the rest of the program before the younger students have to head off for the finale.

There are forty students in total making their debut and their presence on stage together is breathtaking. They have only practiced this together once even if they’ve practice countless times in their own schools. 

The taikomochi from Matsushita Okiya pile into an enormous group hug before heading to the dressing rooms to help mop sweat off and cool down before going to mingle and entertain. Ben seems so much more relaxed now which makes Dean even more relieved. They head out together, making a beeline for Castiel and Samandriel, knowing Andy and Kevin are close behind.

Both alphas have small cards in red envelopes for all three of the newly debuted taikomochi. Andy whispers in Dean’s ear that it’s usually money in the form of prepaid debit cards. Most hand it over to the okiya but some keep one or two for themselves.

Nearly everyone hands them one. Castiel follows again, staying out of the way but watching over Dean and Ben. No one here would be stupid enough to do anything perverse but it’s the polite alpha thing to do. 

Dean feels slightly uncomfortable is when Adler approaches. Zachariah has his reputation and while he’s within his right to bid on a mizuage, Dean would rather he stay away from his okiya. Ben doesn’t react, just accepts the card and promises to return to talk later, the proper taikomochi response. He does pretty well, sitting at tables to pour drinks and crack jokes, not visibly showing that anything is affecting him. In fact he’s smiling. 

“Introduce me,” comes a familiar voice as two older Middle Eastern men excuse themselves after presenting Ben with cards. Dean affects a big smile as he turns and bows slightly.

“Ben this is Mr. Alistair Epstein, Mr. Epstein, this is Ben.” Dean can feel Castiel stepping close behind him. Apparently he remembered the small confrontation they had after Dean’s performance at the Solstice.

“Pleasure,” Alistair says as he give a shallow bow. He tucks an envelope into Ben’s hand. “Perhaps I can persuade you to come talk to some of my business associates with me.”

Dean bites his lower lip, letting Ben answer. Alistair was creepy but his business associates were the kind of harmless older men that he would prefer Ben to spend time with. Ben answers affirmatively and lets himself be escorted away. Dean follows after they’ve walked a few paces. There isn’t room for Dean at the table so he sits off to the side where he can keep an eye out. Castiel wordlessly joins him.

“You’re very protective of him,” he says and flags down a waiter to get two glasses of wine.

“I’m protective of all of them,” Dean says, not taking his eyes off of Alistair. He hates the way he touches Ben’s back but it doesn’t seem to bother the younger boy so he doesn’t say anything.

“That’s very commendable, you all look after each other.”

Dean just nods.

“I leave tomorrow for work and won’t be back for a few months,” Castiel says as the wine arrives. Dean’s heart does something that he isn’t sure how to describe.

“Be careful,” he says and sips the wine.

“I always am.” Castiel smile weakly and takes a sip from his own glass.

“Where are you going?”

“Japan, Papua New Guinea, then Japan again.”

“For security work?”

“Yes.”

“When people say security work I think the rent a cop at the mall, but that’s not you.”

Castiel laughs and takes another long pull of his wine. “Not hardly.”

Dean twirls his glass. “That’s global security, like some James Bond type stuff.” A sip and a grin.

“Or National,” Castiel responds, clearly amused.

“What?” Dean looks confused then reminds himself Castiel hates talking about himself. “Bring me something cool from Japan.”

“Please don’t leave it to me to decide what cool is.” Castiel is grinning now, almost hiding behind his wine glass.

“This was cool.” Dean taps the obi where the kwaiken is hidden.

“Note to self, Dean likes pointy things.” Castiel pretends to write an invisible piece of paper.

“Duh!” Dean gives Castiel a look that clearly says he should have know that all along. They both laugh until they giggle. Holy shit, an alpha is giggling and Dean made him. It’s contagious and what he said wasn’t even that funny.

They talk and keep an eye on Ben who seems to be drinking as much sake as his clients. But he’s doing great, Dean’s happy for him and spending time with Castiel is always a bonus. They dance some more, Castiel giving Dean more lessons. Ben dances with one of the men from the table, not needing instructions.

When they’re tired from dancing Ben makes sake bombs, balancing the little glasses balanced carefully on chopsticks. When the party starts dwindling down he’s got a slight buzz and isn’t ready to stop. This was fun, this was good. Castiel escorts them to the bank of elevators then bids them goodnight with a hug apiece, when the car comes. This is how Dean wants to remember Castiel during his absence, bowtie undone and inhibitions lowered enough to hug them. He thinks he would commit unspeakable crimes to have a camera.

“That was great!” Ben twirls as he heads down the hall from the elevator, long sleeves lifting and spreading around him.

“Really?” Dean looks at Ben, surprised. He takes the sake bottle when it’s held out to him.

“They’re so stupid,” he says, halting his movements and looking at Dean like he doesn’t get it. “We come in here, pour their stupid drinks, dance for them and with them and what do they get in return? Nothing! The most they might get is to pay more money to court us.” Ben scoffs and rolls his eyes.

“And they’re not getting anything from me. I’ll go to Japan like Jeffrey.” When Ben sees Dean isn’t drinking the sake he takes it back and downs a few gulps. “One of those Japanese taikomochis? He’s going to go to nursing school. It’s still pretty limited, you know nursing, teaching, secretaries, but I could do it, Dean. And I can con those stupid alphas into paying for it.” 

Dean’s eyes are wide but he’s smiling a little. “I was worried about you kiddo, but you have it all figured out.” He’s worried that it won’t work out but if Ben has a goal it will get him through this. “You really think you can con them into it.”

“Every single one of those old wrinkly bastards has family back in Japan. I can tutor English, help with the kids, but they’d have to pay me.” Ben finally remembers they were walking to their room and starts walking again. Dean laughs. They needed to talk about this a lot more because the kid might be on to something.

“Let’s get you in bed and we can come up with the great master plan tomorrow.” 

Ben eyes him suspiciously then takes a big swig from the sake bottle. Dean would feel terrible letting a fourteen year old drink if they didn’t have to act like adults at such a young age. He takes it from him and drinks the rest. 

They push through the door after Dean fumbles with the keycard for a while. Jeffrey and Ollie are on Jeffrey’s bed talking about the night, both stripped down to their jubans and passing a bottle of sake between them. Dean and Ben crash their party, Andy and Kevin join them shortly after so they move the party to the huge king size bed the three boys had shared the night before. Kevin is excited happy because no one thought he was Japanese, even stoic Ollie has little grins and cute stories about the night.

Matsushita tells them to drink plenty of water and then heads to the living room where he’s pulled out the sofa bed. They oblige, after the rest of the sake is gone and are properly drunk. Dean falls asleep sprawled out in the bed, knowing the next couple of months are going to be long but his little makeshift family will get him through it.


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry.

Dean tries to keep his mind of Castiel. It's easy the morning after because he apparently didn't drink enough water and wakes up with a pounding headache, wrapped up in a cocoon of the hotel blankets with Ben taking up ninety percent of the bed. 

Matsushita doesn't say anything about his students trudging through their typical morning routines but from that little self satisfied smile Dean knows what he's thinking. The younger students don't seem to be affected at all but the older barely eat breakfast, hoods pulled far over their heads to block out as much light as possible. 

Castiel doesn't join them, Samandriel whispers into Dean's ear that he wasn't in his room this morning. He doesn't let this bother him. Instead he gulps water and concentrates on not yacking when Ben covers his eggs in hot sauce. 

The first two weeks go slowly. There are no events since everyone is partied out from having so many events close together in December and January. Dean discovers that he actually likes algebra. Sure it’s frustrating but it’s like really hard puzzles but he’s not sure what the application is for someone who’s so limited in what he can do with his life. 

Matsushita tells him it’s like stretching his muscles before kendo kata. He’s stretching his brain. Great practice for outthinking prideful alphas or solving real life problems. Dean’s just glad he’s getting the hang of it.

The first gig the older taikomochi have is when they are requested at a birthday party for Mr. Akiyama, one of the Zojirushi higher ups in early February. It’s in the biggest house Dean has ever seen, all clean cut stone and glass. There are honest to god uniformed butlers and maids. People are dancing in the room adjacent, but Mr. Akiyama sits tucked under the kotatsu, understandable given that this is his seventy-sixth birthday.

Dean is occupied by him the entire evening and he doesn’t mind. Mr. Akiyama is a lonely widower and too polite and genuinely nice to be too forward with Dean. He tries to look grateful when Zachariah joins them, not wanting to insult the actual client. The entire night people have joined them briefly to wish him happy birthday and share a drink of tea or sake then move on. 

He is genuinely shocked when Zachariah hands over an old cigar box and almost hands it over to his client but Zachariah clarifies it’s for him. Even without all his lessons on how to interact with the Japanese he knows that this is rude. It pleases him because he dislikes Zachariah and hates to see such a kind old man insulted on his birthday.

His eyes widen when he opens up the box to see very old fans wrapped in equally old newspaper. He lifts one gently and examines it. Beside him Mr. Akiyama shifts and looks away.

“From before the second world war,” Zachariah explains smugly. “Found by my father while he was on duty.”

Dean would smile at Zachariah’s ineptitude if he wasn’t trying to keep a somber face because of how rude this is. His brain is going at a mile a minute, thanks algebra, as he tries to think of some way to make this situation less awkward. He gently places the fan back in the box and hands it over to Mr. Akiyama.

“I think this might be better in a museum than an okiya.” His tone is even so he doesn’t sound condescending to Zachariah. “Mr. Akiyama is on the board for the interment museum, I’m sure he could find a better use than decoration in a school no one sees.”

He can feel his client bristle next to him and the irritated frown on Zachariah’s face tell him all he needs to know. Zachariah excuses himself with a huff and Mr. Akiyama seems moved. He thanks Dean profusely before handing the box off to a butler and requesting he bring some champagne for Dean.

After this, his schedule is full. Dean is booked every weekend, evidenced by the stacks of local entertainment magazines and newspapers that his brother sends him. He saves them for some reason, as little monuments that he mattered to someone for a short while. 

Castiel is on his mind more than he wants to admit. He was in an embassy bombing so whatever he did in his security job was dangerous. Dean still isn’t sure exactly what Castiel does but he wants him safe.

Thankfully he hasn’t had much interaction with Zachariah. The Japanese are too polite to ask about whether he’s going to announce his mizuage. Dean doesn’t want to, even though he knows that the money would be helpful in buying his freedom. Mr. Akiyama commandeers his time, which is fine but it puts him in close proximity with Alistair who also seems to want a piece of him. 

Jeffrey warns him that everyone is going to think that he’s prostituting himself to Akiyama if he continues to allow himself to be appropriated. Dean doesn’t know what to do. Castiel is gone, Alistair and Zachariah are creepy and pushy. He’d rather spend time with someone that treats him as his grandson than people that see him as a potential sex object.

They’re starting to prepare for the Spring Equinox and Castiel hasn’t returned. Matsushita had informed Dean that he doesn’t initiate contact with him when he’s on duty but that if Castiel calls or emails he will let him know so he doesn’t ask.  
Ben turns out to be the most precocious of the taikomochi that debuted that year. He has only gone out a few times but Dean likes watching him take the men for their money in cards, a skill Jeffrey has been helping him with. As expected the men fawn all over him, clearly biding their time for a mizuage that is never going to happen.

It’s a fairly big performance on the day of the Equinox, held again at the office park where their big clients have the offices. The parents are at the park during the day. Along with Matsushita, Dean plays the koto while the younger students dance, having become quite skilled at it. He likes it, thinking of it as a flat thirteen stringed guitar and when he’s not practicing the traditional songs for the performances he tries to play his favorite guitar rifts on it.

Sam is there as usual, with Brady as his shadow. Brady ducks off to trail after Kevin and his mom while Dean hangs out with Sam in the food tent. Sam has another magazine, this time with just the article about the addition to the internment museum with a small photo of him. This one means more to him than the others. By giving the fans to Akiyama he’d done something that matters, not waved a sword around for alpha’s amusement and he had been recognized for that.

Both Alistair and Zachariah are there and Dean feels like he’s being pulled apart by trying to watch both of them. Zachariah is leading Ben’s mom around, while the boy trails behind them, head ducked as he plays with an iPad that Dean can only assume Zachariah gave him. He hopes not, that it was an appeasement gift from his stepfather but something tells him from the smug look on Zachariah’s face it’s not.

Sam tries to get Dean not to worry about it but he’s already fretting. It’s true that Ben doesn’t need money but he’s afraid that his stepfather will want him to participate in mizuage and somehow force him to in order to recoup costs. Dean doesn’t think that Matsushita would force Ben to do anything but parents can be manipulative and with so many alphas willing to fork over thousands for virgin omegas it would be hard to protect him.

It’s as they’re saying their goodbyes that Alistair approaches Dean standing with Sam and Brady. Dean stiffens slightly but smiles, knowing that he’s just being an overbearing alpha and that two teenage alphas wouldn’t pose any threat to him. What surprises him is the envelope Alistair produces from his suit coat and passes over to Sam.

“An extra invitation came my way to tonight’s festivities,” he says coolly in that tone that makes Dean’s skin crawl. “Thought it might be nice to let them see what awaits you when you’re wildly successful.” 

Dean doesn’t understand why Alistair is being so nice. Trying gain favor with him? Trying to make Zachariah look like even more of an ass to Dean? Sam doesn’t even look at Dean, he just takes the envelope then looks excitedly at Brady. They’re both trying to contain themselves but are politely thanking Alistair. He wants to speak up and tell them to just go home but no one, not even his brother is going to listen to an omega, especially when it just seems that he’s being overly worried and maternal.

Alistair tucks his arms around both young alphas shoulders to lead them into the building that will house the private party. Dean waits for them to walk three paces and follows behind, feeling like he’s gotten punched in the gut. Deep down he knows he shouldn’t blame Sam. His brother is young and was just invited to a very exclusive party by someone very rich and powerful. He doesn’t even know that Dean is hurt.

Sam and Brady contrast almost as much as the taikomochi in their school blazers and grey pants, sticking out in a sea of black suited adult alphas. Dean watches them be introduced around until he hears a raspy voice call him quietly. His heart falls again when he sees Mr. Akiyama being pushed towards him in a wheelchair. Someone so genuinely kind shouldn’t suffer like this.

Something clicks in the back of his mind. This was on purpose. Alistair knew that Dean would be preoccupied with Mr. Akiyama and that he would be worried about his brother milling around with alphas, probably getting drunk and learning bad habits. Which meant the younger taikomochi would be left mostly unattended. He scans the crowd. Sure enough Alistair has ditched the teenage alphas with a group of young Japanese men and was talking to Kevin while Zachariah was tucked into a corner table with Ben.

He reminds himself that nothing can happen out here in the open. Ben has already made up his mind and while Kevin and Ollie need the money they’re still too young for the predatory alphas to make a move on them. It must be written all over his face because Mr. Akiyama is asking him what’s wrong and looking at him with concern.

Dean opens his mouth a few times before finally speaking. Carefully he explains that his brother is here and he’s a little worried about him with the drinking and driving Brady’s mother’s borrowed car. He even admits he’s a bit nervous about the younger children. Maybe that’s using the older man a bit since he knows that Mr. Akiyama won’t let anything inappropriate happen. Dean isn’t sure he cares. 

This sparks more conversation about where Dean and Sam’s parents are and his intentions for the rest of his training as taikomochi. Dean never thought he’d have this conversation with anyone but he tells Mr. Akiyama the truth. Something tells Dean that if Mr. Akiyama wanted to, he could just find out anyway. Plus, he seems concerned, not curious or information gathering to use against him. 

Dean introduces Sam and Brady to his client after he’s explained everything. They spend an hour talking about Sam’s ideas for college. He’s secretly happy that Sam and Brady look bored at this turn of events. Good, it gives him time to find the younger taikomochis in the crowd and make sure they’re okay. Maybe that was Mr. Akiyama’s intention to begin with because at the end of the part both Sam and Brady are perfectly sober and able to drive home.

Dean is happy about this but a bit grumpy that he wasn’t able to monitor the younger taikomochi’s interactions with the alphas. Zachariah was the one that gave Ben the iPad of course, he finds out in the car ride home. No one seems to have an issue with this so Dean drops it with a curt reminder to be careful around him. Ben rolls his eyes and tells him to stop overreacting.

Three days after the Equinox, Dean is studying on a computer in the library when his email chimes. He only gets emails from his brother so he figures he’s bored in school and wants to chat. The message makes his blood boil.

_Are you sleeping with that old guy?_

_No. I’m insulted. Why would you think that. He’s like my grandpa._

_Just wondering why Brady and I just got scholarships that would pay for pretty much any school in America from the rice maker people._

Dean thinks about it for a few minutes. As much as he’d hate to think about a septuagenarian having sex it’s probably not even possible for Mr. Akiyama to do so, given that his heart is starting to fail him. 

_I think he knows he is about to die and is trying to do something nice for people._

_You’re not sleeping with him?_

_He’s seventy and has a heart condition. I’d kill him._ Dean smirks. _Why are you thinking about your brother having sex with an old wrinkly guy? You need to work on your fantasies._

_GROSS DEAN_

That makes Dean laugh out loud in the quiet of the library. The next message makes him smile.

_Sorry._

_It’s okay. I guess that’s typically how omegas get things. Not me though. Believe me. Have fun at Stanford. No reason for you not to go now._

_Shit! Teacher is looking at me funny. Talk later tonight?_

_Sure thing._

Sam’s name disappears from the chat screen. Dean looks at it for a moment. The chances of Mr. Akiyama wanting something from Dean were slim to none. So why do it? Looking death in the face was definitely one reason why but why them? One thing is for sure, if he awarded the scholarship that meant neither Alistair nor Zachariah could do it. That was one bargaining chip that Akiyama had taken from the men Dean feared would use him to get to himself or the younger boys. 

He doesn’t say anything to anyone about it. There isn’t another even for another two weeks and surely Castiel will be returning soon. He’ll have to find a way to divide time between Castiel and Mr. Akiyama, not wanting to insult either of them.

The next event will be the last time Andy entertains with the taikomochi. Dean’s happy for him even if he thinks Andy is selling out so soon. Then again when he sees Andy and Samandriel together he sees two people that are very much in love. Good for them. He just hopes that Castiel makes it back in time for the wedding.

It’s a benefit for the victims of the tsunami this time as well as a going away party for Andy. He’s not even entertaining really just making the rounds with Samandriel, receiving gifts from those who know they can’t make it.

Dean pushes Mr. Akiyama around in his wheelchair happy that for once he doesn’t have to keep an eye on the younger boys. They’re going to perform and have been backstage getting ready. He’ll play the koto for the dance while Matsushita and Jeffrey accompany him on shamisens but until then he can keep Akiyama company.

He has thanked Mr. Akiyama for the scholarships to which he is told to look out for himself. This makes Dean sure that the scholarships were to make sure no one could use his brother’s inability to pay for his college against him. After everything he’s been through it’s nice to know that there were people in the world that were willing to be nice and expect nothing in return.

Once he has his benefactor settled at a table Dean heads up to the stage to get ready. Matsushita readjusts the elaborate knot in his obi and ties back the sleeves of the constellation patterned furisode. He heads to the dressing room to find everyone else when he hears a guttural growl and the sound of someone getting slapped.

“Get away from me, you freak,” comes Ben’s voice. Dean moves as fast as he can to see Zachariah glowering over Ben who is pressed back into the corner, his kimono slightly disheveled. For a moment he loses the ability to speak before yelling and catching the alpha off guard.

Zachariah looks guilty for only a second before moving away, seeing now that there is another witness. “He comes on to me then plays hard to get, typical.”

Dean glares, hand resting on the kwaiken tucked into his obi. “This is an omega dressing room,” he states lowly and walks to stand between Ben and Zachariah.

“Yes, pretty much only one reason why an omega would invite someone back here, right?” Zachariah looks at his fingernails and then over at Ben.

“He’s lying, he was in here when I came back here,” Ben spits.

“Prove it,” Zachariah responds. Dean wants to cut that smug look right off his face.

“Get out,” Dean barks.

“Such unruly omegas. I wonder what people would think if they heard about students from one of the most prestigious okiya ganging up on someone that has done so much to benefit it.” 

Dean swallows then looks at Ben before directing his attention back to the alpha. “What do you want?”

“Help me win a bet.” 

It seems so stupid Dean looks at Zachariah incredulously. 

“Ben here doesn’t need to offer his mizuage,” Zachariah continues, “and you seem to be content with a life of indentured servitude. There are those of us who like a challenge and all my money is on you, Dean.”

“You’re going to blackmail me into selling my virginity?” Dean stares the alpha down, Ben makes a noise of protest behind him.

“Yes.” From his pocket Zachariah produces a pocketknife and opens it. “Slapped by one omega and cut by another. It will be scandalous.” He looks pointedly at Dean’s obi where the kwaiken handle is barely visible.

Dean sucks in a breath and closes his eyes. Castiel, he’d bid, right? Baring that he can talk to Mr. Akiyama. If the old guy can’t have sex, maybe he’ll want a servant for the remainder of his life. “What if you lose it? What if someone outbids you?”

“Then you’ll be responsible for the burden of proof.”

He can handle that, pictures of the checks, Matsushita’s word. “Fine.”

“Dean this is a trick,” Ben says from behind him. Dean wants to spit that he knows that but keeps his mouth shut since Zachariah is already talking.

“Just a bet between friends. I win if Dean even offers the mizuage, winning the auction would just be icing.” Zachariah closes the knife and puts it in his pocket. “I expect the announcement at the next event.”

The alpha turns and stalks out of the dressing room. Dean inhales through his mouth, wide and attempting to stifle a sob. “FUCK!”

“Dean we have to tell Matsushita,” Ben pleads. “He can’t do this to you. What if Castiel doesn’t come back in time or Zachariah outbids him?”

Dean closes his eyes and unclenches his hands. There are little crescent shaped indentations in his palms. “I’m not risking the school. I’ll be fine.” He snorts. “Worse comes to worse he wins and I stab him in the face. He can’t threaten the school if he’s dead.”

No, he can’t do that, it would be worse for the okiya if an omega killed an alpha during mizuage. Ben starts to say something again but Dean cuts him off with a shake of his head and reaches out to adjust the sakura patterned furisode that Ben is wearing.

“It’s just sex, it’s not important,” he says weakly.

“If that were really the case, you’d have let me offer mine,” Ben says dryly.

“Don’t be so smart.” He spins Ben and fixes the long obi. “You ready? We’ve got to go out there and smile and pretend this just didn’t happen.”

“Yeah, Dean.”

“Good.” He smiles bravely when Ben turns back around. “I’m going nowhere, I will be here to make sure that all of you get the life you want.”

Together they walk out to the side stage, smiles plastered on. He'll figure this out.


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those of you wondering if Samandriel and Andy actually did the deed. Also, I added a warning.

After the performance Dean huddles Kevin, Ollie, and Ben together and make them promise that they will never be alone at one of these events. Zachariah showing up in the dressing room was sneaky but they need to make sure there are always two of them and preferably a witness. Dean hates this. An okiya was supposed to be the safest and best way for an omega to obtain schooling and not be sold off after his first heat. They shouldn’t be living in fear.

Everyone is tense after that, though Dean is pretty sure that the alphas think it’s because the younger students are newer at this. Matsushita can tell something is up but he doesn’t ask Dean until they’re back at the okiya.

“Next event I’d like to announce the offer of my mizuage,” he says evenly. They’re standing in the practice room folding up the kimono used 

Matsushita just looks at him for a moment then nods once. “Would this have anything to do with the rumors about you using Akiyama-san to buy your way out of this school?”

Dean’s mouth drops open. For a solid minute he loses capacity for speech. “Seriously? You’re going to question my intentions for this school?”

Matsushita waves his hand to try and get him to stop talking but Dean is beside himself. Especially after what he’s just done to make sure that the school is going to be safe.

“You think I would use someone, manipulate an old man into paying for something he couldn’t use? I might play mind games with the alphas but I’m not one of them.”

“Dean, be quiet!” Matsushita looks mildly irritated as Dean’s mouth closes with a click of teeth. “I see Akiyama-san in the same manner you do, a lonely old widower trying to have a little fun before his heart gives out on him. I am simply making you aware of what is said about you.”

Dean relaxes but glares at his sensei, arms folded over his red juban. Red, for virgins, he thinks sadly. Matsushita fans an obi at him, making Dean drop his arms so he can go over and help him fold it. “I want to teach, I don’t want anything bad to reflect on the school,” he admits sadly. “It’s why I didn’t pursue the GED. There isn’t anything that says that an omega can’t get one but I don’t want something in the paper about a hysterical, hormonal omega demanding a useless degree.”

He gives his sensei a crooked smile as they finish the obi, a thought occurring to him. “You said I’d have a job here but what happens when you retire. I know you’d leave the school in good hands but I need them to want to keep me around. I have to be educated for that. Irreplaceable.”

Matsushita doesn’t respond as he wraps the obi in tissue paper and nestles it into a box. 

“They’re going to expect someone that’s had all the experiences, someone who’s willing to commit. Mizuage is committing.” It’s a bigger lie than telling people he was a beta for nineteen years and it hurts a lot more.

“Castiel?”

The simple question punches him in the gut. “Well obviously I want him to win it, he’s definitely easiest on the eyes.”

“He’s never bid on a mizuage before, Dean, I want you to know that before you announce your intentions.” Matsushita is looking at Dean like he doesn’t quite believe him. Dean doesn’t blame him since he’s lying through his teeth.

“He also never went out before he met me,” Dean says with false bravado. “Are you expecting him back soon?” Zachariah said that he had to announce it at the next event. He could defy him, say something went wrong on Matsushita’s end.

“His schedule is never public knowledge, Dean, you should know that. Have some patience. We can announce it when he gets back since you want to make him aware. I know I don’t have to tell you about the collectors. There is a chance that even if Castiel knows and bids he might be outbid by one of them.”

“Just want to give him a shot, that’s all.” He manages to keep the worry out of his voice though he’s concerned that Castiel won’t be back in the states in time and the okiya will incur Zachariah’s wrath. Dean can handle the alpha coming after him, but the school cannot be allowed to suffer.

They put the kimono away then Dean heads back to his dorm. Andy and Jeffrey were waiting for him, sitting cross-legged on their futons and looking at Andy’s iPad.

“My wedding kimono,” Andy announces and holds up the tablet. Dean affects a smile and sits down as well. He won’t tell them about what happened between Zachariah and Ben and himself even if he feels like shit for lying. 

“Let me see,” he says, trying to sound enthusiastic. While he has an appreciation for the kimono they wear now weddings still seem like this elaborate and unnecessary thing even if it was a big deal for an omega to get one. 

“They’re bringing it tomorrow for me to try on,” Andy says as he passes the iPad off. 

For something being completely white it was a ornate and just looked expensive. Dean nods approvingly. “Congrats. You’re going to be so happy.”  
Maybe his voice is flat or he doesn’t use his usual humor because both Jeffrey and Andy look at Dean critically. “Something’s wrong,” Jeffrey states firmly.

“No,” Dean denies and shakes his head. “Well I mean it was Andy’s last night and I feel like I ran around like a chicken with my head cut off trying to keep tab on the baby taikos and I’m tired and didn’t get to drink anything.”

Jeffrey produces a bottle of champagne, seemingly from nowhere though in reality it had been in his bag shoved behind the pillow he was leaning against. Dean laughs and shakes his head. “Of course. But no really. I’m happy for you, Andy, and I look forward to the wedding.”

“Two more weeks!” Andy is beaming and he should. He’s the happy ending they all wanted at least in the aspect that he was getting what he wanted. Dean smiles more genuinely. Two more weeks meant that it was more likely that Castiel would be back for the event in three weeks. He lets out a relieved exhale and nods. Maybe things would go right in his life for once.

The champagne bottle gives a gentle pop as Jeffrey uncorks it. Andy gets the first sip since he’s the guest of honor in the little private party then the bottle is passed to Dean. He gulps it before handing off to Jeffrey, saying ‘cheers’ as he does since they don’t have glasses to toast.

“I’m going to miss you guys,” Andy says sadly. “We’re keeping in touch of course and I’ll be out just as much as Sammy was.”

“We’re going to miss you,” Jeffrey insists, Dean nods along with him.

“I feel like the band is breaking up,” he adds and accepts the champagne bottle back. 

“Maybe I’ll come back,” Andy says with a shrug. “Help teach.”

“The school could expand with more teachers,” Dean agrees as he passes the bottle to Jeffrey. “It has it’s problems but it’s a good place.”

Andy and Jeffrey are both nodding. “We could all come back,” Jeffrey adds, “when I’m done in Japan. I don’t think you’ll ever leave.” He gestures the champagne bottle in Dean’s direction. 

“No, probably not.” If he was going to do this and risk losing the mizuage to Zachariah or worse, Alistair, Dean was not going to give up on the okiya. Whoever owned the okiya after Matsushita would be stuck with him.

Andy picks up his iPad again and scrolls through the pictures of the kimono again. Dean smiles at him as Jeffrey drink a large portion of the bottle. Jeffrey was the heavy drinker of the group and soon was yawning and telling them to finish off the bottle, quietly. 

“Do you think you’ll let Castiel court you if he asked,” Andy asks, looking up at Dean.

He’s glad his friend doesn’t even consider that he might be interested in Akiyama. “Yeah, I would but only if he let me teach.” There was no compromise. Castiel would cease to be the perfect alpha if he tried to control Dean’s behavior. “Have you talked to Samandriel about you teaching?”

Andy nods. “A lot, yeah.” He laughs. “He can’t tell me no.”

Dean laughs too. “No one can. You put the whammy on them or something.”

“I don’t think he would. He’s so sweet.” Andy looks like he’s remembering something fond.

"You never told me what it's like," Dean reminds Andy when they’re sure Jeffrey is out cold.

“The mizuage?”

Dean just nods.

Andy blushes. "I was so nervous and so was Sammy. We had been drinking champagne and we took the bottle upstairs with us to his bed. He helped me get undressed and we got in bed and I really wanted another drink but I was getting tipsy and didn't want to be drunk for it. I didn't want to present with my ass in the air so I stayed on my back." He laughs and looks up at the ceiling for a moment before looking back at Dean. "Sammy couldn't get it in because I kept clenching up even though I really wanted it and was practically soaking the sheets. We kept laughing and giggling, it was probably the most immature mizuage in the history of this sort of thing. Finally he um…"

Andy stops talking and Dean motions for him to keep going with his hand. His friend is stifling a laugh. 

"He um…" he pauses and presses his lips together. "Orally pleasured me. Both ways."

"You are the slickest, pun intended, omega that's ever existed," Dean says as he shakes his head. "Some guy pays to have sex with you and he goes down on you. I'm pretty damn sure it's normally the opposite."

Andy laughs, nose wrinkling at the thought. "So after all that I'm pretty much a mess, I look like what every alpha wants an omega to look like for them, legs wide open, clutching the sheets, begging for it. It went in after that."

"Someone should let the alphas onto the secret that the key to a writhing, begging omega is just a little tongue between the legs." He laughs but then looks thoughtful. "I wonder if Cas will.” Dean looks at Andy hopefully. “He will won't he?"

"The stereotype is that no alpha does but Sammy did, Castiel might."

"He better," Dean says wistfully, making Andy laugh.

Dean looks at the iPad to check the time. It was nearly two in the morning. He yawns and shuffles so he’s on his futon completely. Tomorrow was Saturday so they could sleep in and he was a little worried he wouldn’t get a good night’s sleep in with worrying about the mizuage. 

If it’s Castiel he has almost nothing to worry about. He’ll probably laugh too much and make an ass of himself. Dean can’t make himself think about if it’s not Castiel. He refuses to because the thought of Zachariah or Alistair makes him shudder.

Dean dozes into the early afternoon getting up just in time for lunch. He dresses in the simple kimono that they wear around the okiya and heads down to the dining room. It’s empty save for some of the younger students all with their hoods on. He grabs a bowl of rice and sits down next to Jesse who is half eating, half filling out a kanji worksheet.

“Where is everyone, kiddo?” Dean asks as he slips his hood over his head. If the students hooded, there are guests. Maybe it’s Castiel.

“Andy’s wedding dress is here,” he says innocently then bites his lip as he struggles to remember a character. Dean snorts a laugh and eats. He can’t really help Jesse with the worksheet, he’s on the same level of learning Japanese as the little boy is, but he can sit with him and try to do it in his head.

When they’re finished eating they stack their bowls in the sink and head down to the mirrored practice room where dressing usually takes place. Dean grins when he sees Andy on a wooden box in the middle of the room with three tailors going over him, marking some things and tugging fabric this way and that. The kimono looked expensive on the tablet screen, it looks priceless in person.

Jesse bounces over to the students his age and sits with them, leaving Dean to look with a sad smile over at Andy. His friend holds out his hand and returns it. “Don’t look like that, you’re supposed to be happy for me.”

Dean doesn’t have the heart to say that he’s let down it’s not Castiel in the okiya or that he’s scared again that he’s going to have to let one of the disgusting men he hates have sex with him.

“I’m just upset that I’m forever a bridesmaid,” he fibs, pretending to be teasing as he squeezes the outstretched hand then lets go.

Andy straightens when one of the tailors tells him to, rolling his eyes. Dean smiles again, trying to seem more sincere this time, then heads to the screen to retrieve his katana. He feels eyes on him as he leaves to go to the other practice room, devoid of anyone since the current thing to be excited over was Andy and the wedding kimono. 

That’s how it should be. Andy deserves to be happy just like everyone else in this okiya. 

Dean sits seiza for a long time in the middle of the practice room floor, looking down at the katana. When he closes his eyes he can feel the weight of the knife Castiel gave him pressing against his ribcage. Both instruments of defense and ritualistic suicide. 

He opens his eyes picks up the katana. Ritualistic suicide was for dishonor if he was to believe the Hagakure. Dean starts his kata, practicing in silence, thinking. He has been dishonored but he has kept his promise to himself to protect the okiya. The katana slices through the air with more force than necessary. 

Dishonored. That was a term for people that had something to lose. Dean had nothing. Sweat is pouring off of him as he swings the sword, going through the katas forcefully. He can’t drink or get in a bar fight to work off this stress but he can do this. 

He slices off Zachariah’s head with an upswing that would have left some of his jaw partially intact. Alistair goes down with a stab to the belly then a tug upwards that would have sliced his vital organs in half. The guy that hit him and helped hold him down so he could be raped in prison gets it in the genitals.

Dean’s out of breath, slumped in the middle of the practice floor like he’s bowing in seiza but his arms are spread out messily, right fist curled loosely around the katana. He wants to scream but doesn’t want to draw attention to himself, wants to rely on Castiel and Mr. Akiyama to get him out of this but loathes himself for being left powerless to save himself.

He could save himself. Kill Zachariah so no one ever had to endure him again then kill himself. Leave a note or upload a video to the internet about why he did it. The social bloggers would be all over that. Maybe it would change something, maybe people would finally say something about the way omegas are treated.

Sure, on the internet. Publically he’d be the overemotional omega that couldn’t deal with the one thing they were supposed to be good at. Sex.

That’s what it all came down to in the end. Sex. For years females and omegas were treated as the same until beta males demanded they be treated as alpha males, which meant females could take more roles. But not omegas. They were hermaphroditic freaks. Hairless males with wombs and cycles and soft bodies.

Dean sits back on his heels and wipes his eyes. It wasn’t his fault that he was born with that extra chromosome that determined his gender. Technically it was his father’s fault. Well, the sperm responsible for his paternity.

He stands up and sheathes the katana, running it along his fore and middle fingers to align it properly. Protect the okiya. That’s what matters. There is no shame in asking for help.


	18. Chapter 18

Andy’s wedding is sure to be nothing short of spectacular. Dean’s looking up at chandelier that is as big as the practice room in the okiya. His mouth hands open a little bit as he takes in the rest of the room from his spot, hidden behind the door of the guarded anteroom. He watches as people file in, ushered by the younger taikomochi from the okiya.

The women look like butterflies more than taikomochi ever could, with pastel dresses, strange little hats, and shoes that look like murder on their feet. They’re escorted by men in morning coats and vests, laughing at jokes that probably aren’t funny. Of course there is the odd omega, one with a tiny dog that looks like it’s wearing a wig sitting in a bag, another so pregnant Dean’s not sure how he’s moving. 

Tiny dog guy looks happy, laughing at the same lame jokes, preggo looks like he desperately wants to have fun but is finding it difficult since he is about to pop. It’s reassuring.

He sees Zachariah off to the side and swallows down his anger. Samandriel had to invite him, Dean supposes, and it’s not like he told anyone about what happened between them. A lot of the people look vaguely familiar from Dean’s venturing out into the world of the ultra rich.

There’s a cough behind him, making Dean spin. He recognizes one of Mr. Akiyama’s assistants as he returns the deep bow offered to him. 

“Mr. Akiyama wishes to speak to you,” the man says and sidesteps to gesture to Dean’s elderly friend sitting in the wheelchair, oxygen cannula in his nostrils. It makes his heart hurt.

Mr. Akiyama’s hand is slightly raised so Dean steps forward and takes it, smiling as he squats so he can look his friend in the eye. “You’re not supposed to look better than the bride,” the old man croaks with a smile.

Dean smiles too. The entire school was gifted with sage green kimonos and deep purple obi and jubans. “I always look like this.”

Mr. Akiyama shakes his head and tries to inhale but struggles. Dean looks at him worriedly but says nothing. “I set some things up for you and your brother and his friend.” Someone approaches from the side and presents Dean with a large manila envelope with both hands. Dean drops Mr. Akiyama’s gently before rising to take it.

“It’s the trust for their college and your education,” Mr. Akiyama continues in explanation. “I’m not much longer for this world.”

Dean shakes his head. “Oh, you got a few more years in you,” he lies with a smile. It’s what he does and he’s damn good at it. Inside he’s brimming. His education is paid for. 

Mr. Akiyama smiles weakly. “I will see you after the ceremony.”

“Of course Mr. Akiyama.” Dean bows then watches as his friend is pushed away, closing his eyes when he’s out of sight. This changes nothing. By choice Dean is still obligated to the okiya and that means having to deal with Zachariah’s blackmail. But this means that later, and in private, he’ll ask Mr. Akiyama to use a portion of his trust to bid on the mizuage.

Still, he was free even if no one could know he had the money. He’ll tell Matsushita after the mizuage and never let any other students entertain Zachariah or allow him to bid on their mizuages. He couldn’t falsely accuse them if he didn’t have access.

Dean wants to go look for Castiel but he doesn’t want to be disappointed. The RSVPs went to Samandriel’s mother so Andy didn’t know if he had RSVPed and Samandriel had asked a week ago with a negative response but a lot changes in a week.

“Dean.”

Andy’s voice sounds slightly weak and Dean doesn’t blame him. When he turns around he sees his friend, hooded and smiling. 

“Ready?” Dean bites his lower lip as a he smiles.

“Guess so,” Andy replies with a shrug, barely noticeable due to the layers of the white kimono.

“You know I was joking when I said bridesmaid but everyone keeps calling me that. You’re about to be filthy rich, make them stop.”

“Well it’s kind of fitting.”

“You’re not a bride,” Dean protests.

Andy looks away disappointed. Dean feels like crap. Bride was preferable to property. “You come up with the words and I’ll get them added to the dictionary,” Andy recovers and promises solemnly.

“Deal.”

Music starts playing beyond the double doors, their cue to get ready. When the song ends they’ll be expected to exit and make their way up to the altar. They’ve practiced this in the okiya but this was for real.

“This is it,” Andy says excitedly as the music starts to slow in tempo. He’s grinning widely and Dean finds it in himself to be happy for him. The music changes and Dean lifts his hand so Andy can slide his own into it just as the doors are opened by Kevin and Ben. Ollie throws salt in their path then they step out to proceed down the aisle.

Dean’s not sure about all of it but he knows there are a lot of Shinto elements since that’s the philosophy Matsushita follows and it tends to rub off on his students though he doesn’t press religion. Andy described it as an amalgamation of the Shinto philosophies and modern secular religions one day when he was babbling about it.

Even though Dean’s been playing along and nodding when Andy spouts off about it he thinks it’s pretty pointless. Matsushita and Andy’s brother signed the papers over to Samandriel a week ago. He guesses it shows that Samandriel is willing to treat Andy right, even if society won’t.

Dean grins up at the groom who looks like he’s about to cry. Softie alpha, Dean thinks in his head then tries to scan the room to see if he can see Castiel before concentrating on where he is going. He grins when he looks back in time to see Samandriel wiping a tear off his cheek.

The little alpha takes Andy’s other hand so he can step up onto the platform as Dean relinquishes his hold. Andy doesn’t look back and Dean doesn’t blame him. Everyone should be looked at like Samandriel is looking at Andy right now, but especially omegas that are so rarely looked at.

Dean stoops to fix the bottom of the kimono to lay right when Andy is up on the platform then slinks away, heading to the back of the altar to hide behind the decorative partition. He could slip into the hotel staff’s back halls but he has vowed to never be caught alone again. No, he’ll stay here and wait until the married couple, Dean refuses to say bride and groom, are in the back for pictures and everyone is milling around having cocktails while the rows of chairs are replaced with tables.

The wording of the vows is very American but they add Shinto things to it like drinking sake out of a shared cup. Dean watches from his spot but also scans the crowd looking for Castiel. He sees Tiny Dog Omega feeding his pet little piece of jerky, a woman with what looks like a peacock on the side of her head trying to stay awake, but no Castiel.

His lips scrunch up in irritation and confusion. Cas wouldn’t miss this, he knew Andy was Dean’s friend and important to him. He catches sight of Alistair and frowns, brow furrowing. These were not the people he wants to see.

Every time he catches sight of black hair he gets a pulse of excitement only to feel disappointed when it’s not Castiel. Then his eyes track to down Andy’s side of the crowd and finds the right set of blue eyes under the right mop of black hair. He smiles to himself then starts when the music changes and everyone is standing up. He looks in time to see Andy and Samandriel kiss then take each other’s hands and start down the aisle. Dean checks to make sure Zachariah is still where he last saw him then dashes around the back halls to the anteroom where pictures would be taking place. 

As soon as Andy sees him he crushes Dean into a tight hug. They let it linger for a minute then pull away from each other. Andy smiles at Dean then tugs Samandriel to him. 

“You’re hitched!” Dean’s not sure what else to say in this situation.

The couple agrees politely and shrugs, looking happy. A photographer starts calling out how he wants people to line up. Getting his picture taken is a part of life now but for Dean it’s still his least favorite part. Still he goes where the photographer wants him and smiles politely.

They’re allowed to go enjoy cocktail hour while the pictures that don’t require are being taken. Dean heads out while Jeffrey takes Ben, Kevin, and Ollie go to find the game room. They promise to be back in an hour for dinner. Dean wants to warn them again not to talk to Zachariah but he doesn’t want to arouse suspicion and ends up wandering around, looking for Castiel.

Of course it Mr. Akiyama that finds him first, excusing his aide and telling Dean to take over wheeling him around. While he wants to find Castiel he knows this is a good time to talk to his friend about the mizuage.

Or it would be if people would stop coming up to talk to them. He’s introduced to so many people that he can’t keep track of them all. They stand around and talk about everything from the economy to dancing. Nearly every single one of them compliments Dean’s appearance. His life has been pretty surreal up to this point but it just keeps getting weirder.

Dean sees Castiel by the bar while Mr. Akiyama is talking to someone in Japanese. He only manages to catch every third word so he’s not really paying attention and looks at Castiel until he notices Dean staring at him. Castiel is talking to a woman with this tiny hat on the front of her head and feathers that curl around the back of her head. He smiles over at Dean but keeps talking to her. Dean’s disappointed but doesn’t let himself get upset since they’re both being polite.

Maybe it’s because Dean is harboring a tiny crush but Castiel looks amazing. _It’s not black,_ he mouths at Castiel about the grey morning coat and pinstriped pants. Of course the vest and tie are different shades of blue and of course it would bring out Cas’ eyes. Not that Dean’s noticing.

Mr. Akiyama asks Dean to help him find their table so he stops flirting with Castiel to comply. It strikes Dean as odd that his friend would know that they were sitting together but complies wordlessly. The place settings have little name cards on the chargers that they survey as Dean pushes Mr. Akiyama through the crowds.

They find their table next to the guests of honor. It should have been obvious since it has a chair missing from one of the place settings. He pushes Mr. Akiyama into the spot and sits in the chair next to him.

Dean looks away disappointedly from the name card next to him. Fuck James Novak, whoever the hell he was. He looks over his shoulder to where Castiel had been earlier and sees that he’s gone. Wedding day or not he’s going to beat Andy’s ass for this. Tiny Dog Omega comes over and sits across from him, rolling his eyes as he lowers himself. 

“Seems like everyone is still as boring as they were five years ago,” he huffs as he puts his dog in his lap. Dean tries not to let his eyes go wide but he can’t help himself. Holy shit, no one told this guy he was supposed to start dressing plainly after he got mated. His kimono is so silver it’s practically shining, the obi is silver and black filigree brocade, and Dean’s pretty sure the guy is wearing makeup. Eyeliner at least.

Tiny Dog Omega garners Dean suspiciously when he doesn’t answer. “Wait do you even speak English? Are you one of the ones shipped off to Japan as soon as you’re weaned?” His accent is Brooklyn or Jersey, Dean wonders what they thought of him when he was a taikomochi.

Dean coughs and shakes his head. “No, just um, no. I’m from here, well Kansas. I’m Dean and this is Mr. Ryoichi Akiyama.” Mr. Akiyama gives as much of a bow as he can from his wheelchair that Tiny Dog Omega politely returns. Well he’s gaudy as hell but still a trained taikomochi.

“Frankie.” He holds up the little name card that says Franklin Kobayashi. Dean hopes they have a kid named Maru somewhere. Frankie is still looking at Dean critically while he drinks his wine. His ring catches the light and Dean notices he’s got huge diamonds in both his ears and another hanging from his neck. Dean really hopes Mr. Akiyama doesn’t think he wants jewelry like that.

A Japanese man comes to stand behind Frankie then leans over to kiss Frankie on the cheek. He sits in the chair next to Frankie. It’s strange but they compliment each other perfectly. He’s got one of those Japanese pop star haircuts and pierced ears but in a perfectly tailored morning suit.

“Hello, Dean.”

Dean is shaken out of his awe and looks up to see Castiel pulling out the chair next to him, holding two champagne flutes in his free hand. “I took the liberty,” he says as he sets one of the flutes down in front of Dean.

He shakes his head and rolls his eyes at himself. “Oh right, Novak, that’s your.” Dean pauses eyes wide. “Last. Name.” He’s almost said fake name but he recovered. Barely.

Castiel laughs, seeming to understand. They both smile then make introductions around the table. Frankie declares he was friends with a Jimmy when they were at the Matsushita Okiya but he doesn’t go out any more because he has ‘like a hundred kids now or something’. 

When there aren’t toasts or food being served Frankie does most of the talking. It’s kind of refreshing. They mostly live in Japan but occasionally Ren, his husband goes on tour with his band and they have to travel a lot. Dean makes a mental note to Google Ren Kobayshi later.

Mr. Akiyama doesn’t say much but occasionally he puts his hand over Dean’s and asks for something to be moved closer to him. Dean is happy to help but he hopes the gestures are not misconstrued by Castiel. If there was going to be anyone that Dean would be involved with romantically it would be Cas but he can’t just say that. Especially not now.

They all turn in their chairs when Jeffrey announces that the couple would be having their first dance. Dean immediately scans the crowd to see where the younger taikomochi are, visibly relaxing when he sees them at a table with Matsushita. He turns his attention back to the couple and laughs out loud when Chuck Berry’s _You Never Can Tell_ starts playing and Samandriel and Andy start doing the twist. Everyone is smiling and laughing except Castiel who looks confused.

Dean leans into whisper into his ear. “It’s from a movie. Pulp Fiction. Also, ask me to dance later.” He gives Castiel a confident smirk as he pulls away. 

“But in the movie she overdoses on heroin and he gets shot coming out of the bathroom,” Frankie protests, looking disgusted. Ren just pats his hand and nods. His fingers are just as covered in rings as Frankie’s are. Dean grins at them. Good, they’re another happy ending.

He sips his champagne and watches until the song is over and Jeffrey asks people to join them. Dean is about to kick Cas under the table to remind him that he’s supposed to ask him to dance when Ren stands up and offers his hand to Frankie.

“Dean, can you hold Paris?” Frankie deposits the dog on Dean’s lap before he has time to object. The hairless dog blinks up at him then sighs and lays down.

“I guess I’m holding Paris,” Dean says. Castiel and Mr. Akiyama laugh politely. The older man leans over and looks at the dog, then reaches out to pet the mop of hair on its head. Through two songs they make polite conversation about kendo and art. Dean can tell Castiel is impressed with him and it makes him proud. He can learn about art and the rest of the crap taikomochi are supposed to know about just as much as anyone else. 

He wants to bring up the mizuage but doing it with both Castiel and Mr. Akiyama seems rude, like he’s deliberately trying to pit them against each other. So Dean doesn’t. Another song starts up and Ren and Frankie still aren’t back from dancing. He’s starting to get antsy. Dean finds Jeffrey in the crowd and tries to get his attention but he’s looking at the man talking to him. 

“Dean is something wrong?” Mr. Akiyama asks and touches Dean’s arm. Castiel obviously sees it because he looks away immediately. Dean’s heart lurches. No, please no, Castiel can’t think that they’re involved. Could he really think that?

“No, I’m fine,” he lies and smiles in Mr. Akiyama’s direction. “When’s the food showing up?” Dean laughs it off and pats his stomach under the purple obi. Both of his companions laugh as well.

Frankie and Ren make their way back to the table holding drinks. “Got you more of the same,” Frankie announces as he puts the champagne flutes down in front of Castiel and Dean then scoops up his dog. Dean thanks him quietly and picks it up to sip, looking at Castiel pointedly. The poor guy looks confused for a second then realization shows on his face.

“Mr. Akiyama, may I steal Dean away from you for a dance?”

What the hell? He doesn’t belong to Mr. Akiyama. Dean tries not to look irritated when the older gentleman nods and tells them to have fun. He takes Castiel’s arm to get up and be escorted to the dance floor.

“I’m not interested or involved with Mr. Akiyama,” Dean whispers as soon as they’re a few steps away. “He’s a nice old guy that’s shown me a lot of kindness and kept me away from the creeps while you were gone.”

“He’s very fond of you,” Castiel says as they take their positions.

“I know and I can’t be rude okay?” Dean looks at Castiel pleadingly, becoming visibly relaxed when his friend nods and smiles. He tenses up again when he sees Zachariah leering at him from the bar. 

“I have to offer my mizuage and I can’t stop it,” he blurts out. Castiel looks at him confused. “I can’t talk about it and of course it’s not Matsushita but I have to do it okay?”

Castiel’s brows furrow. “Is your brother in trouble?”

Dean shakes his head. “No, just I want you to know.” He ducks his head shyly and huffs a laugh. “Actually, you’re the only one I want to win it.”

“Dean I’ve never…”

“I know,” Dean cuts him off, “but if you can?” A horrifying though occurs to him that Castiel might not be able to afford it. What if the watch was a fake and he was some security contractor that didn’t make much money but got to go neat places? 

Castiel sighs heavily, looking disappointed. Dean starts to pull away, horrified that he’s insulted the only person in the world he cares about. Shit was he in love with Cas? He’s pulled tighter, making him start. 

“I wish you would let me help without resorting to this,” he clarifies, still looking irritated. Dean softens considerably, now understanding that Castiel is mad at the situation and not him.

“That may be the nicest thing that anyone has ever said to me but I have to do this.” Dean sighs and looks down between them. They’re close and he can feel Castiel’s hand flexing and relaxing on his back, protective. Dean wants to tell him everything. “I know I’m asking a lot, and I’m sorry. I’ll repay you, I promise.”

Castiel sighs again. He probably doesn’t believe that he can repay him but he can. He’ll pay off his schooling with the money from the trust fund and then continue working until he can pay Castiel back. Dean grunts, surprised, when Castiel squeezes him protectively.

“Can I cut in?”

The little hairs on the back of Dean’s neck stand up at the sound of the voice. He closes his eyes and resigns himself to the fact that he’s about to have to dance with Zachariah. Dean pulls away from Castiel to look at his tormentor. “We only just started.”

“Don’t be rude Dean,” comes the terse reply.

Castiel squeezes Dean’s hand but he shakes his head. “Later,” he says with false cheer and squeezes back before letting go. Castiel eyes Zachariah with nothing but vitriol.

“Down boy,” Zachariah seethes at him. Dean’s pretty sure that there is about to be a fight but Castiel leaves the dance floor, though he just stands on the edge, watching. This was bad, if he suspected that it was Zachariah forcing him into the mizuage he’d risk something happening.

“Ben Braeden’s step-father seems interested in ridding himself of the expense of putting an omega that isn’t even his through a very expensive school,” Zachariah says coolly.

Dean’s entire body shudders in response. He looks up into the smug face, mouth hanging open.

“He’s what? Thirteen? I wonder how he’d fare at one of those parties Alistair throws.” Zachariah is whispering, his hot breath getting trapped in Dean’s hood. He tries to pull away but he’s jerked back. “Probably not well, some of those men can be downright fierce. That’s usually how omegas end up dropped off in front of the emergency room.”

Zachariah steps back and grips Dean’s bicep so hard he’s going to have bruises. “Sumitomo’s Sakura Matsuri,” he whispers. “Announce it there.” 

“You’re hurting me,” he says, getting them a few looks. He will play along but he doesn’t have to take abuse.

“I’m sorry Dean, I forgot about the kendo injury,” he lies sweetly and bows before stalking off.

“Dean?”

He spins and smiles widely, taking Castiel’s hands to position them to dance. “He’s one of the creepers,” he says cheerfully. It is obvious Castiel sees right through him but he smiles and nods, keeping up the façade. 

“But unfortunately what looks like a well respected man,” Castiel says, following Zachariah with his eyes. 

“A collector.” 

“Not the type you would want to win your mizuage.”

“Exactly.”

“Then why do it? Why offer something you don’t have to at the risk of being with someone like that then have to ask someone for help?” Dean wilts as Castiel speaks. He’s right, without the full explanation it seems like a very risky gamble that relies on someone else to spend a lot of money to save him. And what’s worse, the person he’s relying on seems fundamentally opposed to the idea of mizuage, not just being asked to participate in it.

“I’m sorry, Cas, when I can I will pay you back, I swear.” Dean sighs, he used a diminutive again. “Sorry. About the nickname this time.”

“I like it,” he says flatly. “I wish I could understand your motives here.”

Dean is surprised to hear that Castiel is fine with the nickname. He smiles sadly. “I promise that when it’s all over I will explain exactly what’s happening.”

“I’m holding you to that.” The song changes to something more upbeat but its obvious neither of them feels like that sort of dancing. “We should get you back to Mr. Akiyama.”

Dean nods. “Can you be at Sumitomo’s Sakura Matsuri? It’s in a couple of weeks.” They exit the dance floor together, heading back to the table where appetizers are being set out.

“I’ll get an invite,” Castiel affirms. Dean’s never thought about it but he’s asked Cas to be a bunch of exclusive places and the guy always turns up despite no one seeming to know who he is. He side eyes Cas.

“Who are you?”

“James Novak, take your seat.” Dean pulls an irritated face but lets the chair be pulled out for him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Frankie is lovingly based off a long time friend of mine who has a penchant for haute couture suits, make up, and gaudy jewelry.


	19. Chapter 19

In the end Dean doesn’t ask Akiyama to bid on the mizuage. He’s certain that Castiel will do it and he’ll pay him back with the money he earns entertaining after his education is paid off with the trust fund.

The okiya feels empty without Andy. Jeffrey has bought his plane ticket for Japan and is leaving in a few months. Dean reminds himself that this is what he wanted. Being a teacher meant he was going to watch boys leave and being a teacher _here_ meant that they wouldn’t have to fear for their safety.

He tries to remain optimistic but worry constantly niggles the back of his brain. Castiel knows and that’s enough. There is plenty to keep him busy and he needs to concentrate on that. Dean works on choreography with Jeffrey, he tutors the younger students in English, and starts reading through college books from Ellen’s daughters last semester.

He’s going to be a teacher. If there is some way to trip Zachariah up Dean is going to find it and either get him caught or banned. If he has to he’ll entrap him. The thought makes him smile sometimes when he’s studying or taking lessons. Dean would love to be the one that took Zachariah out. From his conversation with Frankie, who had his mizuage bought by Zachariah as well, he’s always been a creep.

Matsushita has been personally working with Dean more again. Mizuage means that Dean will be considered a professional and that means absolute perfection. The alphas that hire him will not settle for anything less. Nightly he goes to sleep with cramping fingers and toes and an aching back. 

Sumitomo’s Sakura Matsuri takes place two weekends after Andy’s wedding. An all day event that takes place in their gardens, it’s open to the public during the day with a party in the evening, like the equinox. Dean is torn between looking forward to it and not wanting to go at all. Everyone he cares about will be there.

Everyone he cares about will see him selling his virginity.

No one questions his quiet mood, assuming that it’s because Andy has moved out and he’s stressed in his study load. It’s part of it. Jeffrey dresses him in silence the morning of the event. Dean stands in the hotel room, looking out the window at the office park that is completely covered in pink. Ben is playing some game on his iPad, refusing to give it up, just because Zachariah is a creep.

Dean doesn’t blame him, they have so few possessions in the world. 

“You’re done,” Jeffrey announces, giving the long hanging obi another swat to make it lay straight before Dean leaves the window and heads to the mirror to see this supposedly special and newly purchased kimono Matsushita instructed him to wear. He smiles slightly as he turns. Pine trees again, branches over his shoulders and down his sleeves, shading a boat filled with flowers that is floating on the water of his hem. The golden darari obi has Matsushita’s crest embroidered in pine green thread at the base of it.

“You really are staying,” Jeffrey mumbles as he looks at Dean. Matsushita has essentially dressed Dean in a huge advertisement that he was going to be hired on to the okiya. And this without knowing about the money from Akiyama, he must be expecting a considerable amount of money from the mizuage. Dean supposes he’s worth about a hundred bucks.

“There’s really no other place that I’d rather go.” He gives Jeffrey a lopsided smile. “Well, I might come hang out with you in Japan for a year.”

When the okiya is safe. It will be good for him, make him a better teacher. There’s the issue with the plane though. He’ll live, maybe he’ll ask to Cas escort him. Maybe if he asks, Castiel will go with him.

Jeffrey calls for Ben to stop playing to get dressed as well. The younger taikomochi looks at Dean and grins as he sheds the uniform kimono and stands in the window’s natural light to be dressed. Dean sits on the bed as well as he can and watches, occasionally stealing glances at the box of rice cakes that signal he’s putting himself on the auction block that are resting on the desk.

Eventually Kevin and Ollie filter in from the room next door. They compliment Dean politely, not really wanting to talk to much because mizuage is uncomfortable, something that they’re going to have to do sooner than later. It’s a realization that they can paint this lifestyle up as pretty as they want to but they’re still chattel.

They don’t goof off like they normally do, everyone is somber, looking at Dean like he might explain himself. Ben knows, of course, and keeps his nose glued to that iPad so he won’t betray himself. At the private party after the performances he is the one to follow Dean around and help present alphas with the tokens that they were welcome to bid on the mizuage.

As soon as he’s stepped out of the elevator there are cameras on them. It’s not just for Dean, who at twenty is the oldest taikomochi to ever offer his mizuage but also because the fees that Jeffrey collects today will make him the highest paid taikomochi in American history. Security guards in suits and wired earpieces have to escort them out towards the door.

They do pause politely once outside and a suitable backdrop of cherry trees for people to settle their curiosity and get pictures of the two. Jeffrey talks and cracks jokes about the photographers but Dean can’t make himself play along. Just trying to keep that half smile on his face is enough work.

He scans the crowd, looking for Castiel and his brother, who had also promised to come via email. Sam had asked a lot of questions about why Dean decided to offer his mizuage but Dean managed to convince him it was for purely professional reasons. Even over the impersonal medium of instant messaging on the internet Dean could tell Sam didn’t quite believe him.

The photographers and curious onlookers attending the festival block his view from most of the crowd starting to gather. Dean sets his jaw when he catches a glimpse of Zachariah’s head. Of course he would be arrive early. Dean’s never seen him at the more cultural aspects of their performances. It’s disrespectful.

It takes every fiber of his being to keep a scowl off of his face. Matsushita steps in front of the group and tells the photographers that the taikomochi are capable of doing much more interesting things than modeling kimono. Dean sighs relievedly, as the photographers disperse and head towards the stage area.

Jeffrey reaches out and squeezes his hand, looking sympathetic. “It’s nerve wracking I know, but when it’s over with you’ll wonder why you were so nervous.”

Dean has a feeling he is right. He wonders what Castiel will want to do. Will he actually want to have sex if he hates the idea of mizuage? They can just spend the evening together. Maybe Cas will lend him a pair of jeans and let Dean drive his car around town, unhooded and free for just one night. He smiles at the thought.

“Dean, you meatball, lets go,” Kevin says and pokes him with a fan. Dean lets himself laugh as he heads off for the stage with his students, though a different direction from the photographers. Whatever happens he’s going to be okay because it will be Castiel, the person that chose to be his friend and never wanted anything else from him.

He looks over his shoulder one last time and just happens to find his brother, stalking around with Brady in tow. Dean quickly heads over to give Sam a tight hug. 

“Wanna come backstage?” Dean’s eyes flash. It’s not as cool as a concert but he can tell he made Brady’s day from the way he lights up. Sam and Brady flank Dean as they head backstage. Brady wants to see the katana up close. Sam talks about being excited for college. Dean is happy for him even though it means he’ll be slightly further away and probably too busy to come see him.

Sam wants to know how Dean will be able to teach without formal education. He is happy for his brother, and promises to send him anything he can come across cheaply at Stanford that might help him. There was never a thought in Dean’s mind that Sam wouldn’t be supportive but it was nice to hear it out loud and not have him question the mizuage.

It’s the usual schedule for himself and the other taikomochi. Dean leaves Sam and Brady to go stand behind the president of the Sumitomo Corporation while he makes the opening announcements of the ceremony. The students of the Matsushita Okiya perform the opening dances to a rather large crowd, accompanied by a koto hobby group. They’ve been practicing this to the recorded song for months but now, with the live music, it feels more powerful.

Every slice of the katana feels more like a statement than a dance move. Dean won’t let this change his plans or feel defeated. He’s read the Hagakure, understands the importance of going along with something to get the upper hand.

Their performances are getting more athletic while remaining traditional. Kevin is mostly responsible for that since he loves gymnastics. Dean sometimes feels like he’s going to break something just stretching the way Kevin instructs. This particular tale has to be physical because the tale they’re weaving is that of an abused omega that agrees to be turned into a fox if he is granted the power to seek revenge on his attackers.

It’s not that obvious, of course. Ollie could be playing any victim of any gender, Jeffrey could be taken as any generic villain. Dean is the fox god that teaches him swordplay and to hide the katana in the oil-paper umbrella while Kevin and Ben are his familiars.

Whether or not the general public gets the deeper meaning, when it’s all over they’re applauding happily on their feet. The students thank the koto players before exiting the stage and hugging each other as soon as they’re no longer visible.

“Not going to say hello?”

Dean’s smile gets a little bit wider. He pulls away from his co-performers then turns and bows. As he rises his eyes are locked on Castiel’s own and they’re both grinning. 

“Poignant,” Castiel says simply, referring to the dance. Dean just shrugs one shoulder. They came up with the story themselves. It was sad. In the end the threatened omega is turned into another fox without fight or tears when he finds out the familiars surrounding the god are other omegas. Better to have chosen a fate and be safe than to have one handed to you that objectified you.

Dean watches with a little bit of envy as kendo schools start to join them backstage. Castiel looks at him sympathetically. “You were wonderful. Very fluid. You should be proud.”

“Kevin came up with most of it,” he says honestly, then looks around for his friend so he can make introductions. Kevin is already following his mother and Brady out. Dean frowns but doesn’t say why. “I’ll introduce you later,” he promises as he looks around the backstage area. It’s getting crowded with the other groups performing. He wants to leave to try to find some place private to spend time with Castiel but doesn’t want to be interrupted while they’re looking either. Dean looks at the koi pond behind them and starts for it. He has to hold up the kimono as he walks so it doesn’t trail the ground.

“The kimono looks wonderful on you,” Castiel compliments as he catches up. “I haven’t seen it before.”

Dean considers making a ‘this old thing’ joke but nods instead. “Thanks, Matsushita ordered some new ones from Japan but so far he’s only let me see this one and it’s because I’m wearing it. I hope that means that the school is expanding.”

“Because you intend to teach at it,” Castiel supplies in more of a statement than a question.

Dean nods again, little smile playing on his lips. “Yes.”

“Ollie did very well today as well.” Castiel offers Dean his hand to step up on some large rocks. Here, they’re mostly hidden by the cherry trees and with no set path for anyone to come this way it’s unlikely they’ll be disturbed.

“He’s a good kid, fast learner even if it was just a few simple kata.” The geta make it hard to stand on the uneven rocks so he has to take Castiel’s hand until they can get to the edge of the water. Dean lets go as soon as he’s somewhat more even terrain.

“You taught him then,” Castiel says and shoves his hands in his suit pants and looks at the water.

“Well, yeah, I mean, it was simple, like I said.” There is a white koi swimming by itself, close to the shore, nibbling on the algae. Dean watches Castiel watching the fish for a moment. His trench coat is pushed behind him because his hands are in his pockets which kind of makes him look like he’s got a koi tail. Dean laughs.

Of course this makes Castiel look at him curiously. Dean looks embarrassed for a minute. “I wonder where his friends are,” he says about the fish to recover.

“Maybe he prefers to be alone,” Castiel suggests and doesn’t look up.

Oh. “I respect that.”

“Or maybe the algae tastes better on this side and he doesn’t want to tell anyone else.”

Wait, did that make Dean the algae if Cas was the fish? Castiel probably wasn’t even projecting and it was all Dean’s doing.

“You’re going to be an excellent teacher, Dean,” Castiel says with a slow nod.

“Thanks, Cas,” he says easily, sounding fond. “Does that mean you’ll come spar kendo with me too now?”

“If you’d like.” Castiel turns and smiles at Dean. Between the geta and that he’s higher on the bank Dean is a few inches above Castiel.

“Very much,” Dean urges gently, smile getting wider. He jerks his head back in the direction of the stage. “We were just passed by a bunch of guys with katanas if you want to start now.”

“I think they’d object.” Castiel is smiling too now. His nose wrinkles a little when he’s laughing and smiling. Dean likes it immensely. 

“You’re probably right, the jerks.” He rolls his eyes and huffs dramatically. Castiel laughs again.

“Next time, though, I promise,” Castiel says and looks back down at the water. The same pure white koi is still alone, swimming slowly.

“Good.” Dean steps closer, testing the ground to make sure his geta don’t sink. “How was Japan?”

“Hectic, I was very busy. Oh!” Castiel shakes his head. “I have something for you in my car. It would have been rude to give it to you at Samandriel and Andy’s wedding.”

“I’m really curious and thanks, I was joking when I said you had to bring me something but I don’t want to leave our hiding spot just yet. Can we get it later?”

“Of course, Dean, I was thinking the same thing.”

Perfect. He steps further down, holding up the kimono a little higher. The red juban, embroidered with stylized chrysanthemum shows more, reflecting in the water. Dean sighs when the white koi swims away. “I scared him,” he says sadly then goes quiet when Castiel lifts a finger to his lips.

He hears it too, people getting closer. Dean smiles sadly at Castiel then sighs. They look over and see Brady helping Kevin to sit on a bench several yards away. Both almost laugh at the sight of Mrs. Tran standing a few feet behind them, arms crossed and looking at them critically. 

“Maybe we’re still safe,” Dean muses but Kevin is calling out to them and waving.

“Relatively,” Castiel replies with a brief inclination of his head. “I guess we should join them.”

“Next time I have to go to a special omega school it’s going to be the one where they teach you to be ultra rude,” Dean jokes. It gets a huff of laugh from his friend. 

For a while they talk with Brady and Kevin until Dean realizes that if Brady and he are here together than Sam is somewhere by himself, alone and probably bored to tears. He excuses himself and hurries away, only to be disappointed when Castiel doesn’t follow. Dean hadn’t meant for him to stay behind, just the other two.

He is stopped several times. It’s a daunting process since he’s alone, having to let go of the kimono and kick the train straight, sometimes someone helps him but usually he undertakes the task himself. Dean searches the grounds, feeling terrible until he finds his brother at a small picnic table, engrossed in conversation with a curly haired blonde while they share a shaved ice.

Of course Sam was fine and immediately found someone to flirt with. Must run in the family. Dean makes his way over to the table and stops at the edge just as Sam and his friend look up at him. 

“Sam, is this Dean?” She’s cute, probably the daughter of one of the American executives here, or maybe a sister to one of the students. “Of course it is, Sam’s shown me all your spots in the society pages. I’m Jessica Moore.”

Well, Sam wasn’t carrying any magazines around with him currently, which pretty much meant one thing. Dean smiles and pretends to be grateful. “It’s nice to meet you.”

Sam coughs, clearly embarrassed and stands up to offer Dean his seat. His brother used him as a guise to spend time with his girlfriend, Brady only showed up to chase Kevin’s tail. 

“I’ll let you get back to each other,” he says politely with a bow and walks away before Sam can protest. Sam was a good kid, deserved a sweet girl. Someone he could do all that high school stuff that was important to teenagers.

He wants to find Cas or Mr. Akiyama, someone he can talk to. People smile at him, take pictures of him as he goes. Dean can see from the walkway that Castiel is no longer with Brady and Kevin. Ben and Ollie are doing an impromptu dance under the trees for several onlookers while Jeffrey plays the shamisen. 

A photographer asks him for more portraits. He wants to refuse but this is what he’s here for. Apparently what the photographer meant was pose with people. They seem disappointed that he doesn’t carry the katana with him. Dean apologizes but he doesn’t mean it. Maybe they’ll leave him alone sooner.

It goes on for nearly an hour before Matsushita is gathering up the taikomochi for their second performance. Dean uses the chance to excuse himself politely and heads backstage to find the katana and wait. 

The second performance is once again accompanied by the koto players, though more traditional. This was planned since the Japanese are starting to show up, some wearing yukata. The children look like butterflies, flitting this way and back in their bright yukata.

When they’re done the taikomochi are escorted back up to the hotel until the private party starts. Dean feels bad because no he feels like he has abandoned Sam and Castiel but reminds himself that Sam has someone to talk to and Cas apparently preferred to be alone.

As soon as he enters the room he’s greeted with the sight of the box that holds the rice cakes. He sits on the corner of the bed, facing the window. This was it. Who knows if Cas even was going to stick around after he seemingly ditched him. 

“Fuck!” He says under his breath and clenches the sides of his head. 

Everyone jumps and heads into the next room. Dean sighs and starts to lean forward to rest his elbows on his knees until the obi catches him in the navel and ribcage and he has to sit back up again.

For an hour he sits there, just looking out the windows. He watches as the sun sets and people go around lighting lanterns so the festival can continue. Dean rubs his hands over his face and shifts uncomfortably. Everyone is avoiding him and that doesn’t even bother him. It should, these are apparently the only friends he has in this world. 

“It’s time to go, Dean,” Matsushita states firmly and walks to the desk to pick up the box. “If you’re having second thoughts you may back out now. A formal announcement was never made. Rumors abound, but such is the nature of this life.”

Dean shakes his head and gets up. “No.” He forces a smile. “I want to be on your payroll.”

“That is the intention.” Matsushita smiles. “We’ll announce it after the mizuage.”

“That fast?” Dean is brimming. With the money Mr. Akiyama gave him and the mizuage he’ll have his education paid for, living off of a small teacher’s salary would be easy.

“In under a year you became one of the most sought after taikomochi and learned more than most do in years. I’d say fast is a major component of your lifestyle.”

Dean laughs and turns away. Maybe this will all work out. Castiel is here, but… “Sensei, is Mr. Akiyama coming tonight?”

“I’m sorry Dean, I believe he canceled his RSVP due to feeling poorly.” Matsushita looks genuinely concerned. This worries Dean. He puts on his brave face and steps forward. 

“Bring me to visit him then?”

“Of course, Dean.” Matsushita turns to stick his head in the next room and calls the others to come. Dean shoots them an apologetic look then steps forward so he’s the first out of the door. He leads the way across the sky bridge into the Sumitomo building.

This time there are no photographers, no people telling them to stop. Dean strides in confidently and scans the crowd. Sam is there, holding Jess’ hand. Good, he needs to apologize for storming off. Brady is there as well. Dean’s smile falters when he sees him talking to Alistair. That’s the last thing Brady needs, is to be taught the proper way to treat omegas by someone that apparently threw parties and hired omega prostitutes to use. Later Dean will tell Kevin to stay away.

And there is Castiel. Always in the background. Dean smiles at him then heads over directly thinking they might as well get over with. Matsushita discreetly hands over the small box and hangs back.

“I meant what I said, I only want it to be you.” Dean tucks the box into Castiel’s hand and looks into his eyes. “I would never put you on the spot like this but I have to do this.”

“I understand, Dean,” Castiel responds and seems like he really means it. Dean could jump up and down and scream but he’s the picture of perfection, poised tall, thumbs hooked together under the obi, hood on just enough to look mysterious.

“Thank you.” He can barely speak. Castiel reaches out for Dean’s hand, squeezing it when he links them together. “I have to go give these out, so later?”

“I’ll be here,” Castiel promises sincerely. They squeeze each other’s hands one more time before Dean heads off to disappear into the crowd.

There are a few usual suspects that he gives the cakes, though he knows they will only make polite bids they don’t intend to win. He hate that he has to oblige like a dog when Alistair calls him over. Dean keeps the conversation short and gives both Alistair and Brady a box. He’ll need to speak to Sam about this as well, tell his brother what a creep Alistair is and Brady shouldn’t be falling in with him.

The entire room is abuzz and every eye is on Dean. He’s getting a drink from the bar when his arm is gripped roughly.

“Enjoying yourself, whore?” Zachariah’s voice still manages to be falsely sweet. “Did you make a fool out of me? I’m being told that you were a street walking prostitute before Matsushita let you in.”

Dean looks at Zachariah with vitriol before scanning the room. Matsushita is talking to someone that Adler had been talking to moments ago, clearly a planned distraction. 

“You know as well as I do that I’ll be examined before the mizuage takes place. Whoever wins will get his money worth.” Dean starts to twist out of Zachariah’s grip but his arm is squeezed harder. 

“You better be pure or the deal is off and I’ll buy you and that spoiled little brat that follows you around.” If anyone was watching they’d think that Zachariah was just whispering in Dean’s ear. “Then the two of you can watch each other be used like an omega is intended.”

Dean actually smiles. Zacahariah talked too much. The next time he is out he’ll have a digital recorder next to the kwaiken in his obi. He calls out for his sensei, pretending to need one of the cakes to hand off. His arm is dropped as soon as Matsushita starts approaching. 

“Thank you for accepting,” Dean says with all the false bravado he can muster. There is no way Zachariah will win. At least that’s what he has to believe. 

“Dean, it’s almost our curfew,” Sam’s voice pops up from behind Matsushita. Dean smiles sweetly at Zachariah and offers a tiny bow before turning to greet his brother. Sam is flanked by Jess and Brady, both looking a little uncomfortable.

“I’m sorry you have to go so early,” Dean says apologetically. “Glad you could make it though.” He wonders who gave them invites, probably Alistair again.

“We’ll see you soon, though,” Jess promises as she hugs Dean goodbye. The gesture strikes him as odd, people don’t touch omegas so affectionately unless they’re family and even then it’s rare, but he hugs back. As she pulls away and smiles Dean realizes he can count the number of times he’s been hugged. 

“Is something going on, Castiel sent me over here,” Sam whispers into Dean’s ear as they hug too. 

Dean just smiles, thinking that of course Cas would notice that Dean was uncomfortable. “Nothing I can’t handle, he’s just being careful.” Must be that security job that makes him so hyper aware.

“Okay, then we’re going to go. June, right?” Sam has a crooked smile, like he knows as well as Dean does that June is probably the last time they’ll see each other for a while.

“June,” Dean agrees.

“Bye, Dean.”

“Bye, Sam.”

He watches his brother and his friends until they’re lost in the crowd. Raucous laughter makes him turn, catching sight of Jeffrey in the middle of a group of men, fanning himself and talking.

In a matter of seconds he’s asked to come to a table as well. Dean looks over his shoulder for Castiel as he is escorted a long, wanting him to join them. He can’t find him but he keeps up the pretense that he’s happy to come entertain the guests. They’re a lively group, already a bit drunk, so very easy to get along with. Soon the two tables becomes one big group with Jeffrey and Dean sitting side by side, playing off each other.

Whenever he can he looks around for Castiel but doesn’t see him again. Somehow Dean knows he’s there and if he had to guess Castiel had probably been there when he was wandering around outside looking for him but didn’t approach because he didn’t know what Dean was looking for.

Dean smiles to himself serenely. He has a guardian angel after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The pine tree kimono: http://blog.al.com/mhuebner/2010/07/kimono_tenacious_and_versatile.html


	20. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am really sorry.

Matsushita keeps his promise to arrange for Dean to see Mr. Akiyama. Dean is picked up by a member of Mr. Akiyama’s staff in a luxurious, chauffeur driven Mercedes the Monday after the Sakura Matsuri. He watches as the world goes by from his seat in the rear of the vehicle and thinks how accustomed he is to this now.

The okiya has changed him, that much is for certain. He can’t bring himself to think of it as selling out because he was trying to survive. Somehow he got caught up in it and ended up here. He wasn’t just surviving, he was flourishing. 

Dean straightens the hood in the reflection of the window as the car turns up the long drive to Mr. Akiyama’s home. A few months ago he would have hurried and opened his own door but now he just waits with his hands folded in his lap, only getting out when the door is opened for him. It’s not about being perfectly capable anymore, it’s about respect.

He thanks the chauffeur and takes the few steps up to the door where someone opens the door for him from inside. Dean inhales sharply through his nose and exhales forcefully before the door is fully open, trying to prepare himself for what Mr. Akiyama might look like. He’s at home, right, can’t be that bad.

No words are spoken as the butler gestures towards the back of the house. Dean follows him silently. 

It’s far worse than he imagined. Dean has to stop in the doorway and collect himself again before going forward and sitting next to the bed in the chair the butler places there. There is the same medical equipment that he’s seen in a hospital before. An IV bag hangs on a stand, his friend’s frail forefinger is trapped in a heart monitor that beeps next to the bed.

Mr. Akiyama’s eyes are closed so Dean just sits and looks at his lap. It’s a plain honey brown kimono this time, but there’s a pine forest stretched across his middle on the obi. His new uniform will always have pine motifs on it, the symbol that he belongs to no one but the okiya. 

The tiny splash on his leg makes him start and touch his cheek, only realizing now that he’s crying. Shit. Dean grabs a tissue from the box on the bedside table and dabs at his face. Mr. Akiyama shouldn’t see him crying.

“Dean?” Mr. Akiyama’s voice sounds so frail. His hand clenches at the sheets before edging out, obviously searching for Dean. It’s so unlike him, or any of the other older Japanese to seek out touch like that. Dean realizes now that it was probably because Mr. Akiyama was suddenly aware of his own mortality. He closes his hand gently over his friend’s and gives him a watery smile.

“I’m here.” Their fingers hook together, Dean scoots the chair a little closer.

“Thank you, an old man shouldn’t have to die alone.”

Where the hell is his family, Dean wonders silently, recounting the stiff and formal portraits he’s seen in the foyer and halls. “I’ll stay as long as you want me to.”

He’s answered by wheezing. Dean looks around but a nurse is already hurrying in, turning up the oxygen pumping into the cannula inserted into Mr. Akiyama’s nostrils. For several minutes the older man catches his breath. Dean’s trying so hard not to lose it. Here was this man that never approached Dean for anything other than companionship and deserved everything good in the world yet he was suffering.

Still, Mr. Akiyama had taken care of Dean and his family. There is no doubt in his mind that if Mr. Akiyama had been twenty years younger Dean would have been staring down an offer of permanent sponsorship and a sexual relationship. He feels guilty for being happy he didn’t have to make that decision.

Even after Mr. Akiyama’s breathing has evened out they just sit there, hands joined. Dean picks up a book next to the bed when the hand in his own relaxes and lets go. His friend’s eyes are open now, looking at him fondly. 

“Consider me, as one who loved poetry, and persimmons,” Mr. Akiyama rasps out with a little smile.

Dean thumbs through the book of haiku, smiling as well. He spots the poem Mr. Akiyama recited and grins. The book is in Japanese but the page is adorned with pictures of persimmons so it’s easy enough to recognize. “I wish I could read this to you, but my knowledge of kanji is pretty bad.”

“I can help, come closer,” comes the offer. Dean moves the chair as Mr. Akiyama adjusts the hospital bed to be more upright so he can look over his shoulder.

For an hour they try to help Dean commit to memory the characters. He’s been so busy with everything else that he is supposed to learn, including being conversational in Japanese, that kanji was just too much. They laugh when he stumbles over pronouncing a word, then waits for Mr. Akiyama to catch his breath. In the end Mr. Akiyama reads more aloud than Dean does but he knows he’ll never forget the character for persimmon.

He leaves with the promise that he will be back as soon as Mr. Akiyama wants him.

As it turns out, his friend wants to seem him immediately. Daily, Mr. Akiyama sends a car to pick up Dean in the morning then returns him in the evening. Jeffrey has the nerve to ask if he’s getting paid. Dean asks Matsushita to make sure that he isn’t. Apparently the topic of payment hasn’t come up yet so Dean asks that if it does that no money exchange hands. 

He borrows Ben’s iPad to download haiku in hiragana since he can read that much more easily. Well, sound it out at least. Mr. Akiyama grows more quiet with every day that Dean comes to visit. His friend is dying and there is nothing he can do because it’s just how life ends. 

The day before the mizuage bidding the visit with Mr. Akiyama is incredibly short. Dean knows that the end is coming and suspects that his friend does too. He reads him poems in English and Japanese, book poised elegantly high though it’s to hide the tears welling in his eyes. This time when he exits the home he heads through the kitchen to grab a persimmon. He goes the living room and places it on the small shrine. He presses his hands together, forefingers on his lips as he prays to gods he doesn’t know if he believes in to stop his friend from suffering any more.

It’s hard to fall asleep that night. Dean feels guilty for praying for Mr. Akiyama’s death and is filled with nervous excitement over the bidding tomorrow evening. Anxiety causes dreams of everything from Castiel wrecking his car on the way to deliver the check to terrorists emptying his bank account.

He wakes up feeling incredibly stupid. Dean blinks into the light filtering through the shoji covered window. He wants to stay in bed until Matsushita comes to tell him that Castiel has won the bid but he gets up and dresses in case Mr. Akiyama needs to see him again today.

Once again he dresses simply, plain deep green silk kimono and an obi tied in a taiko knot so that a pine cone and pine needles show on the back of it. He heads to get breakfast in the kitchen, through the quiet okiya, the children already in classes. Dean takes his rice and fish to eat on the bench by the side of the koi pond.

Mornings are still cool but he’s wrapped in a haori as well as the kimono. The koi are starting to gather at the edge of the pond, seeing a person and assuming that he’s here to feed them. He watches until he’s done eating then heads back in.

The other students give him a wide berth today, ducking their heads when he approaches. The three younger taikomochi don’t say much when they get together to practice for a few hours. Jeffrey only watches and gives them pointers. He’s leaving soon so there is no need to practice with them. 

He can’t make himself eat lunch and he spends dinner in his room, turning the kwaiken over in his hands and staring at the walls. At seven o’clock Dean hears the children heading to their dorms past his room, laughing and giggling. Matsushita comes to get him shortly after the children's laughter has faded and takes him to the office to wait.

He can barely think straight as he sits seiza in the center of the room and takes the offered tea from his sensei. The hand under the tea mug trembles as he lifts it to his lips. Matsushita says nothing, but sits behind his desk and starts working on a massive ledger. Dean steals a glance at the picture of his sensei and Castiel, laughing after kendo practice. 

When all this is over he’ll laugh too, he thinks. With Castiel even. They’ll be friends. He frowns when he remembers that he never got the gift at the Sakura Matsuri. He’ll get it the night of his mizuage. Maybe they’ll go on a date like in the movies. Dinner and a movie, something normal.

For three hours he sits in silence until Jeffrey slides open the shoji and enters with a stack of envelopes. His expression is horrified as Matsushita takes the checks and sits back at his desk. Worry settles over Dean, making his stomach churn. What happened that Jeffrey looked so scared?

Matsushita slits open the first check and reads out the name and amount. “Mr. Epstein, forty-five thousand.”

Jeffrey is shaking his head as he kneels next to Dean, muttering that he was sorry over and over again. Dean looks at him, imploring him silently to tell him what happened as Matsushita reads out another name and price. Each name is a punch to the gut. He’s going to puke, fourteen names in and no Castiel.

“Mr. Adler, eighty-five thousand dollars,” Matsushita reads off then stands from the chair. Dean is suddenly very glad that he didn't eat very much that day.

“No,” he mutters and shakes his head. “Please don’t make me do this. Look again, his check is in there somewhere.”

“I’m sorry, Dean, he didn’t come,” Jeffrey says sadly, looking at his lap. Tears are running down his friend's face.

“Mr. Adler has requested that you be ready tomorrow evening,” Matsushita says, looking outside at the garden and sounding disappointed. 

“Sensei, please,” Dean begs. “Call him, make sure he’s okay. He promised me.”

Castiel never explicitly promised but Dean had no reason to believe that he wouldn’t bid. Maybe accidentally underbid since he never has before, but to just abandon Dean like that seemed so unlike Castiel.

“Dean I told you that Castiel has never bid on a mizuage.” Matsushita still sounds sad and disappointed. Dean suspects his sensei thought Castiel would bid on the mizuage as much as he did. “He has told me on occasion that he wished I would discontinue the practice. To expect him to bid on something he is opposed to was foolish.”

Dean can’t breathe. Jeffrey rubs over his back, looking at their sensei’s back, pleading. “Don’t make him do this, please, sensei,” he begs. 

“No,” Dean manages to get out. He can’t risk the okiya. Do it and find a way to entrap Zachariah. Stick to the plan. Zachariah wasn’t stupid, by making the mizuage happen tomorrow night he ensured that Dean wouldn’t run away. Not that he would. “I expected too much. I won’t back out now.”

He rises and stalks out of the office, heading to his room to slump on his futon fully dressed. Jeffrey is soon there as well, pulling him up and making him get undressed.

“I’m sorry Dean, I would have burned Zachariah’s check but I was worried that if he asked about the winning bet he’d know I did something. I don’t trust him to not do something nasty to the okiya.”

Dean just nods and lets himself be manipulated into his sleep robe. “Neither do I,” he snorts. The kwaiken thuds to the floor as Jeffrey shakes out the obi. Dean glares at it then scoops it up. He hurls himself off the futon and strides through the okiya to the kitchen and out into the garden, barefoot. For a second he considers hurling it into the well but decides that it might not be a good idea in case it taints the drinking water. He walks over to the bench where he ate his breakfast and looks at the knife in his hand for a long time.

“I trusted you,” he growls at the kwaiken then hurls it into the koi pond. He watches the water until the ripples stop then goes back inside.

Jeffrey is sitting on his futon when he gets back to their room. He throws a bottle of pills at Dean as he enters. It rattles as Dean catches it deftly one handed. 

“Xanax, it will help,” he says apologetically then gets under the covers. The blanket is pulled up completely over his head. “It makes you relax and not care. You don’t want to let him see you get upset. He’ll get off on it.”

Dean nods and takes two pills right then and there, choking them down dry before getting the light. He gets into his futon as well, pulling up the covers to his chin.

“Don’t entertain him or make conversation, just get it over with.” Jeffrey’s voice fills their small room but sounds meek. “You’ll disconnect if you let yourself, go somewhere within yourself.”

“Is it going to hurt?” Dean turns over and looks at Jeffrey who still has tears rolling down his cheeks.

“Mine did, but I didn’t have Xanax,” he admits freely. “Maybe if you’re relaxed it won’t.”

Dean nods, that makes sense. “We have to stop him,” he says quietly. “I’m going to make sure that I’m the last.”

“You’d be doing the world a great service,” Jeffrey agrees.

Dean yawns and closes his eyes, the Xanax working on him already. “I promise,” he says sleepily as he shifts and snugs the blankets closer.

"I'm sorry, Dean, I mean it," Jeffrey says again. "I wouldn't wish him on anyone."

"Thanks," he says dully because all the apologies in the world are not going to change what is going to happen tomorrow night. Dean falls asleep curled up on himself, knees to his chest.

In the morning Matsushita wakes him up after breakfast and tells him to go to office for his examination. He waits until he can hear that his sensei is down the hall before he takes another pill then heads to the room where the doctor is waiting.

The exam is conducted in silence except when the doctor hands him a little stick and tells him to go urinate on it. He brings it back when he’s done, noting the little negative sign on it. The doctor tells him there is no risk of pregnancy today. Dean just nods in response. That was something he hadn’t thought about it but it made sense. These men paid to have sex with virgins, not father children. 

Matsushita dresses Dean in the pine tree furisode once the doctor has left. He doesn’t look in the mirror or talk instead silently repeating his mantra in his head. Get this over with, start carrying a digital recorder when it’s all over. He’ll get this taken care of. It's all he thinks about as he sits in the office until he's told that it is time to go.

Dean and Matsushita are driven by another chauffeur, provided by Zachariah. They are being followed by one of the security guards he recognizes from the parties he’s worked. The security guard helps him out of the limousine and escorts him through the hotel while Matsushita goes to check into his own hotel room. 

People take pictures, knowing that there is only one reason why a lone taikomochi in in a hotel when an event is not taking place. The security guard blocks them when he can, holding up his hands in front of phones and cameras. He keeps his head down so no one gets his face and lets himself be guided to the elevator.

“I’ll be outside the entire time,” he’s told as they stop outside of a hotel room. “If you need me to intervene I’ve been given a key. Yell or bang on the wall. We’ve never had a problem yet but we always like to be safe.”

Dean swallows and nods then exhales as the door is opened for him. Zachariah gets up from the desk chair as he enters and smiles broadly. 

“So good of you to keep up your end of the bargain. I trust you have papers for me.” Zachariah is oozing self-satisfaction. Dean holds out the envelope with the results from the tests the doctor ran, proving he was not capable of getting pregnant this evening and that he was free of diseases. Zachariah grins as he reads over it then throws the papers on the desk.

“Drink?” Zachariah pours two glasses without waiting for the answer, the one that has more in it he offers to Dean. 

“Yeah, whatever.” Dean takes the glass and knocks back the scotch. It burns on the way down. He wishes Zachariah would get him drunk. The booze, combined with the Xanax Jeffrey gave him is making him warm. Zachariah refills his glass. Good, he hopes he's so sloppy it's unenjoyable. 

Dean shoots the scotch then drops the glass to the bar. He reaches around his back to untie the obi. “Let's get this over with.”

“Let me.” Zachariah looks predatory but Dean turns around anyway. The obi falls away after a few tugs on the elaborate knot then is tossed haphazardly onto the chair. Dean frowns as the obi slips from the chair and pools onto the ground. It’s disrespectful. 

Zachariah pushes the kimono down one of Dean's shoulders roughly, inhaling as he sees the flesh. He trails his fingers down the slope of exposed skin gently. Dean can feel hot breath on the flesh of his neck. 

"Don't." He says firmly. The hand leaves him with an irritated sigh. Dean tugs the layers off and throws them onto the chair as well. The Xanax must be working because he is so beyond caring right now. 

“Remember, Dean, you don’t get to tell me what to do," Zachariah says, voice accompanied by the sound of a zipper being undone.

He knows Zachariah is right and that he has no option but to go to the bed, shimmying out of his underwear as he goes. Dean refuses to give Zachariah the pleasure of undressing him. He gets on the bed and buries his face in the pillows, unable to cry because of the meds. It's a small comfort because the last thing he wants is Zachariah to have the pleasure of seeing him cry. 

The disconnect Jeffrey told him about happens as he feels the bed dip behind him. Dean spaces out and disassociates. He’s somewhat aware of what’s happening but it seems like it’s happening to someone else. Eventually the Xanax and the scotch catch up to his mental break and he sees only black.

He wakes up to being shaken by Matsushita. Dean remembers very little thankfully though he feels achy. He's on his back with the covers pulled up to his chest. This must be Zachariah's doing, which seems strange, like he was covering the evidence.

Matsushita urges him to go shower so he does, scrubbing his skin until it's red then exiting so his sensei can dress him. The red juban is folded up in a bag to the side, this time a white undergarment is used to show that he is no longer a virgin and ready to be a professional. He’s ashamed, he wants the red back but he says nothing as the pine tree kimono is pulled over it. His hood is pulled so far over his head when he leaves that he has to look at the ground when he walks. 

Dean stays like that until he's back in his dorm. Jeffrey undresses him silently giving him little reassuring squeezes until he's tucked into his futon with a reminder that they can talk any time. He doesn't just yet. Instead Dean stays in his futon, not getting up or eating, refusing anyone wordlessly. He feels broken. And something feels off. Soon, it's late Sunday and he still hurts.

He decides he cannot take it any more and gets up to make his way down the hallway to his sensei's office. His steps are wobbly, his throat cracked and dry. Dean realizes it’s been two days since he’s eaten. He must look like hell because when Matsushita slides open the shoji he looks very concerned.

“I think I need to see a doctor,” he says weakly. “The one that checked me out when I before the mizuage, that kind of doctor.” 

For the entirety of the night Matsushita forces Dean to drink miso broth and green tea. He hates to admit that he does feel a little bit better in the morning but his ass hurts and this isn’t normal.

The doctor arrives at the okiya before lunch. He makes Dean bite onto an oversized swab, explaining that it was a drug test, and goes through the humiliating exam procedure all over again. Blood is drawn and collected in small vials. The doctor looks sad and disappointed when he tells Dean to get dressed then leaves the room. Thirty minutes later Matsushita comes in and sits next to him, holding a paper and not looking at Dean.

“What is it?” Dean can’t stand this. The doctor didn’t even tell him what was wrong, he told his owner.

“Did you take Ambien, Xanax, and Valium the night of your mizuage?” Matsushita sounds like he is going to about to cry. When he looks at Dean he’s got tears in the corner of his eyes because he already knows the answer. Dean just shakes his head no anyway.

“How many men were there when you got to the room?”

Dean swallows, putting this together already. “Just Zachriah. He gave me scotch before hand, I thought he was drinking it too, I didn’t really notice, or think I had to.”

“Dean, I’m very sorry, I should hand over the okiya to you now. I shouldn't be allowed to care for children." Matsushita sounds devastated. Dean shakes his head. " Zachariah will never be allowed near any taikomochi again," the sensei continues, "I will speak to his employer as well have the security personnel investigated.”

He nods but refuses to cry as much as he wants to. “But we’ll never know who else was there, or how many?” If anyone else was a part of it than they shouldn't be allowed to be near omegas any more either.

“The doctor said that there is a likely possibility that he could have acted alone and used…”

“I get it,” Dean cuts off Matsushita then apologizes. “No chance of jail time?”

“You were there to have contractual intercourse with him. The court will see this as a symptom of your virginity and he’ll deny giving you the drugs, he’ll say you took them because you were nervous.”

He had taken one of them voluntarily, too. Dean sees the point even though it infuriates him. The guard was outside the door, which meant he was in on it or Zachariah acted alone. This was embarrassing and infuriating but if Zachariah was banned maybe it was worth it. 

“He travels to collect mizuages,” Dean says with his head held high. “Make sure everyone bans him, not just us.”

“Of course, Dean,” his sensei says and hands over a couple of bottles of pills. “Follow the instructions on the bottles, we’ll have the blood test results in a week but these are preventative.”

Dean takes them and looks at the labels. He recognizes the names from what he’s read on the internet, prophylactics for sexually transmitted diseases. He starts to head out of the room but pauses. "Sensei, you said hand over the okiya to me _now_ , does that mean you were going to anyway?"

"I am intending to work out something with an alpha as your trustee so you could take over it for me once your education is completed and I am too old to continue," Matsushita explains, looking at the floor. "Perhaps your brother once he is finished with his schooling."

Dean could hug him. That was better than just teaching, that meant he could make decisions, choose clients. With a bow he excuses himself and heads back to his bedroom. There he takes another Xanax and gets in his futon to sleep off his disappointment and anger.


	21. Chapter 21

The very next morning, a car is sent for Dean. He’s a little gun shy about being alone but trusts Mr. Akiyama and his staff. Dean had wanted to take up Matsushita on the offer of starting to teach more in preparation for taking over the okiya as soon as possible but knows that his time with Mr. Akiyama is short. 

There is a physician as well as a nurse this time in Mr. Akiyama’s bedroom. They look at Dean with something between confusion and awe but then duck out quickly when he just nods at them and goes to his chair near the bed. He sits and scoots the chair closer, resting one hand on the bed as he looks at his friend.

“Hey,” he says softly and leans forward so his elbows are resting on the edge. “I’m here now.”

For a minute all Mr. Akiyama does is blink at him. Just that looks like it takes a great deal of energy. “I wanted to make sure you were okay.” Mr. Akiyama inhales through his nose slowly, catching his breath. “Did everything work out, with the mizuage?” His frail hand shakes as it covers Dean’s own. 

“Yes, Mr. Akiyama, it did, everything was fine,” he lies while a sob forms in the back of his throat. He swallows it down and blinks away any trace of tears. Dean keeps his face passive, not wanting an old dying man to know anything was wrong.

“Good, Dean, I knew you’d use the money wisely." For a solid minute Mr. Akiyama wheezes, looking at Dean. Stupid. Of course he was supposed to use the money to buy his own mizuage. It also hurts because he knows that if he had gone to Mr. Akiyama about the threats from Zachariah quickly and effectively. “Can I see you?”

Dean knows exactly what Mr. Akiyama wants. He slides his hand away and up to the heavy brocade trim on his hood. After only a second of hesitation he pushes the hood off and settles it neatly around his neck so it blends seamlessly with the kimono. He smiles at his friend, returning the affectionate look.

Mr. Akiyama’s hand tremors violently as he lifts it to cup Dean’s face. “Beautiful,” he mutters as the hand falls away.

Normally he would make a joke about how he’s really not and play it off but he just keeps up that practiced smile so he doesn’t cry. This was too much, finding out why Mr. Akiyama had given him the money and now watching him die? Dean was surprised he was holding it together this well. 

They don’t say anything else to each other. Dean turns the chair and rests his head against the side of the bed, his hand tucked under the papery and cold one belonging to his friend. He keeps the hood off until Mr. Akiyama is sleeping, the beeping slowing on the machine next to them. 

Dean startles when the beeping becomes one continuous long shrill noise. The doctor and nurse rush in, the nurse asking Dean to step away. They don’t try to resuscitate him, they shouldn’t of course, his heart is too delicate. He strides off, not wanting to watch as they turn off the machine and pronounce his friend dead. The chauffeur is waiting by the door, playing on his phone. He quickly pockets it and gets the door for Dean, then quickly moves to get the car door as well. 

As soon as he’s back in the okiya Dean heads to his room. Jeffrey is gone but he can hear drums and a voice calling out numbers to keep the boys in step. Dean feels guilty hiding away like this but he needs to get over this before he can build his walls again and go through life like nothing happened.

It rains the day of Mr. Akiyama's funeral. Three of his former assistants hold umbrellas over Dean while he looks at the tall monument carved with the characters of his name. Loneliness sets in, he thinks it will never leave. Besides the students at the okiya there is no one for him now. 

"You kept him company in his last days," one of his children says as they walk back to the limousine waiting for them. "He was grateful for that, we’re grateful, thank you so much for spending time with him."

Dean can't help but wonder where these children were while he was spending his final moments with someone random taikomochi that he happened to meet. He just smiles, though it falters when the eldest pulls out a checkbook. 

"What do we owe you?" 

Dean's mouth tries to drop open but he catches himself and smiles serenely. After telling Matsushita not to accept one, he had not expected payment and from talking with his sensei, Mr. Akiyama had not tried to send one. They were friends and that was understood between them. He looks at the young man critically then bows and pretends to be grateful.

"Your father and I were friends, it isn’t necessary to pay me for visiting my friend, however a donation to the okiya under Mr. Akiyama’s name would always be appreciated.” 

There is no sound other than the rain falling on the umbrellas and the scratching of a Mont Blanc across a checkbook. Dean takes the check without looking at it and tucks it into his obi before bowing. He then waits for the chauffeur to get the door as Mr. Akiyama’s children walk off towards their own cars. As he's getting in he feels someone staring at him from across the graveyard. 

Dean stops then turns back around, squinting across the rows of grave markers at the figure in the black suit and tan trench coat, standing next to a black car on the road up the hill. At this distance he's not sure if their eyes are actually meeting but it feels like they're staring at each other. 

"Is something wrong?"

The question shakes him out of his stupor. He thanks the chauffeur for his concern and gets into the car. His carefully constructed facade cracks the moment the door is closed and the catharsis comes tumbling down. He sobs into his hands, unable to understand why Castiel would dare come here now. 

The car door opening and closing makes him reach for the controls on the door, fumbling with them until he finds the one for the partition that separates the driver’s area from the rest of the limo. Dean slaps at it until he manages to make it go up so he can cry like the omega bitch that he is in private.

Fuck Castiel, fuck him for not even trying to bid, fuck him for not believing Dean when he said he would pay him back. He sobs and clenches at his face. Fuck Zachariah. Fuck having to be on a drug cocktail in case the people he let take turns with Dean were riddled with disease.

“Fuck everything,” he whispers at his lap, shoulders heaving. Stupid, he was so stupid. He should have told Matsushita about the threat, or made a bid under Brady’s name with the trust money. Brady probably would have wanted sex but at least it would have been innocent overzealousness. Like a starry eyed child being presented with his favorite celebrity.

Dean realizes he’s been sitting in the parked limousine in front of the okiya and wonders how long it’s been there. He lowers the partition to the chauffeur and apologizes profusely.

The chauffer just shakes his head and tells him to take his time. Dean gives him a grateful smile and pulls out a handkerchief from his obi. The check comes out with it accidentally and for the first time Dean sees the amount. 

Ten thousand dollars. That was the value that some spoiled children put on having to deal with a kind, dying old man. Dean shakes his head then thanks the chauffeur who is already getting out of the car to come get the door, holding up an umbrella. He smiles as he gets out then gives a bow before heading up to the front door of the okiya. Now he has a key, so he lets himself in and steps out of his geta and onto the raised foyer entrance.

A quick glance at the clock in the kitchen tells him classes are about to be over for the day so he should get ready to proctor study hall. Dean has something he needs to do first, and heads to Matsushita’s office. There, he puts the check on the desk and leaves a note that he wants to talk later about this.

Back in the library, he’s accosted by Robbie and Jesse who squeal that they’ve missed him. Dean supposes he has been fairly absent the past week or so and hugs them back, tousling both boy’s hair.

“Ben said you’re staying at the okiya forever,” Jesse says happily.

“I am,” Dean agrees with a tight lipped grin and a nod. 

“Then so am I,” Robbie announces. Dean bites his lower lip and thinks. What would happen if all the boys wanted to stay and never leave? How would they make money if no one wanted to hire entertainers that never wanted to get married or offer mizuage? Then he thinks of Frankie and Andy and smiles. 

“You going to put me out of a job, Robbie?” Dean asks and heads to the table so the boys can spread out their work. Robbie actually looks frightened for a minute before shaking his head no and dropping his books to the table. 

They work on math for a bit then Matsushita comes in to help all three of them with Japanese until it’s time to break for dinner. Ellen, Dean, Jeffrey, and Matsushita eat together at his urging so he can tell them his plans and see if they’ll go along with it.

“We need to expand,” he says flatly as he cuts up his chicken with a knife and fork, “and we need to adopt the more modern practices that Japan is using.” Dean judges their reactions, which seem interested if a little blank before continuing. “Secondly, we need an exchange program. Just for a year or less at a time.”

He eats a little, only realizing now how hungry he was from not eating much the past week. Jeffrey is nodding and Ellen looks like she has no idea how to handle all this but wants to go along with it. Matsushita is eating quietly.

“I’ve wanted to expand for a while now but we only cater to so few clients, how will we educate more students?”

Dean inhales sharply, biting his lips together. “Expand our clientele. We’re supposed to be artists but we only can entertain people that know what a shamisen is. They should learn other instruments in case they can get on in the orchestras. And we need an agent,” he pauses to get a sip of water, “like the Hollywood kind. Last time there was an omega adult in a move it was a thirteen year old girl with a shaved head in a kimono wrapped the wrong way.”

Jeffrey snorts his agreement and rolls his eyes. They had stayed up late complaining about that. Dean gestures at Jeffrey with a look that clearly says ‘see’. 

“We can get the dorms designed for essentially free by talking to the architecture department at Jo’s college,” Ellen pipes up, finally joining the conversation. “They can make it a group project and then put it in their portfolios.”

Dean could practically bounce he’s so happy everyone is on board. Matsushita is impassive but Dean figures he’s just playing devil’s advocate here. Even if only a tenth of what he wants for the school works out in his lifetime at least he planted the seed, others could finish it.

“I’ll trust you to find a suitable agent for the okiya then, Dean,” Matsushita says as he finishes up his meal. “This weekend should give you plenty of time I’m taking Ben, Ollie, and Kevin to an event, you can research while you look over the okiya.”

Dean’s mouth falls open but he snaps it shut. Of course he was being kept in this weekend, probably considered too delicate after a mizuage gone wrong and losing his friend.

“Yes, sensei,” he says through clenched teeth. Ellen and Jeffrey look at their plates. Dean puts it together. He was being left at the okiya while Ellen and Jeffrey were the ones that looked after the younger taikomochi. His bottom lip is bitten hard as he nods and cocks his head, understanding now.

“Just a week or two until this situation is settled,” Matsushita says. Jeffrey looks at him curiously, brows furrowed. Dean had still not told him what happened.

“I understand,” Dean says sarcastically and gets up to head to his dorm room. “I see where this could be construed as my fault.” He turns and stalks away, scowling. An alpha drugs him and passes him around or abuses him under a system that holds an omega’s virginity in higher esteem than the omega himself and somehow it’s his fault. 

Dean wants to throw a fit but that’s such an omega thing to do. Instead he finds the bottle of Xanax and takes two pills. He’s going to run out soon, he needs to make the connection with whoever is giving them to Jeffrey before he leaves for Japan. Only a couple of months and he would be on his own. He starts rifling through Jeffrey’s drawers, looking for the inevitable bottle of booze.

“What are you doing?”

Dean stops and looks at Jeffrey. “Looking for something to drink,” he admits sheepishly.

“Because of the situation?” Jeffrey asks and nudges his dresser drawer shut, knocking it out of Dean’s hands. “Going to explain to me what it is?”

He slides open the closet door and pulls out one of the wicker bottomed bags he sometimes carried when out entertaining. From there he pulls out a bottle of cherry flavored vodka and offers it Dean. “Something happened with the mizuage, what did you do, hack off Zachariah’s dick?”

Dean sighs, that’s what he should have done. He unscrews the lid and takes a long pull. “Zachariah drugged me,” he explains. “We’re not sure what happened.”

Jeffrey’s mouth hangs open for a split second before he starts crying, looking almost more distraught than Dean. “Dean, I’m so sorry,” he says, shaking his head. “No wonder Matsushita has been on the phone all day.”

Dean nods then drinks more of the vodka. It’s too sweet but it’s doing the job. “Hopefully he’s getting that fucker fired and banned and whatever else he can do to ruin his life.”

Jeffrey nods, face concerned and tears still leaking out of his eyes. “If I would have known he would go this far I would have killed him during mine.”

“I should have but I didn’t want to risk the okiya’s reputation. I can do more alive than I can put to death for killing an alpha.” He caps the vodka and hands it off to Jeffrey, getting that warm feeling all over like he had the night of the mizuage. Here he was safe though, he was just going to sleep and hopefully not dream.

Jeffrey has to help him out of his clothes but gives up on trying to get him into a sleep-robe. Dean crashes on his futon in just his underwear, spread out recklessly.

He wakes up the next morning, groggy and unsure of why until he remembers the Xanax and the vodka. Dean shakes his head and kneels in front of his dresser, eager to find something to wear to see Mr. Akiyama today. Then the memory of the funeral and the ringing in his ears that was the heart monitor going flat hits him and he can’t help the tears that fall. 

Jeffrey is gone from the room, which is a little odd since usually he sleeps all hours of the day. Dean flops back in the futon and burrows under the covers. Now he was in the ivory tower, kept away from the bad. It wasn’t fair. Zachariah should be in jail and Dean should be free.

He gets up to head to the bathroom where he showers and dresses before going to the library. His stomach is still too queasy for breakfast so he studies until he hears Ellen ringing the bell that calls the children to lunch. He decides to take a chance with lunch and heads to the dining room. 

Matsushita sits next to him, immediately getting into that he thinks Dean should teach English. Dean can’t help but agree. He likes to read and even though teaching grammar is tedious it still was something he would enjoy. 

Over the course of the week he starts getting up earlier, siting in on Matsushita’s lessons, and helping more with the children. He wonders if he’ll entertain again or if that was essentially the end of it for him. 

Purposefully, he tries not to think about Castiel. There were any number of reasons that he could have been at Mr. Akiyama’s funeral. Dean hopes it’s guilt, because he should feel terrible. Of course he wouldn’t show his face any closer. A tiny part of Dean hopes that Castiel hears about what happened and feels responsible for it. In a way he is.

Dean pushes Castiel out of his mind. Matsushita has removed the pictures of him from the office and there is no announcement of his visitor this week. It’s time to move on though he feels guilty for ruining Matsushita’s friendship. Honored that his sensei would stick up for him in this manner but guilty all the same.

He spends the weekend in charge of the okiya. As the cars drive off the property Dean suddenly feels scared and alone. He couldn’t protect himself, how was he supposed to protect an entire school of children. The door is shut forcefully then the locked checked multiple times. He goes from window to window, making sure that every lock is secure.

By the time lunch is over his nerves are shot and he really wants another Xanax but he can’t let his guard down around the children. Dean keeps them together, giving them time to study then watching movies in the dining room while he looks for the agent. A guy named Balthazar Freely catches his eye, mostly because of something he has called a Twitter that is filled with subversive, liberal politics. Seems like the kind of guy that would represent omegas.

He can barely sleep he’s so concerned for both the taikomochi out entertaining as well as the students he is supposed to protect. Of course nothing happens and no one teases him when he has to go put the katana up that he had kept in his bed overnight.

Dean struggles to put what happened to him behind him but with coming up with lesson plans, studying his own subjects, and learning the business aspects of running a school from Matsushita he has little time to think about it. He’s nearly always tired but he’s pleased with himself. Ellen and him have plans to go announce the project to California Polytech in the next week which means he will not be out entertaining again. It’s a thinly veiled attempt at keeping Dean away from the prying eyes of his clients but he’s happy to move forward on the plan.

The college trip is surreal and a little bittersweet. Ellen listens to the same kind of music Dean’s father used to and the big body antique Chevelle is just a little too close to the Impala his father once drove. This doesn’t prevent him from driving the car when they hit a stretch of highway that’s deserted except for the odd farm truck. Both occupants have devious grins on their faces as Dean floors the gas pedal, wind filling the interior and blowing the hood off his head.

He doesn’t fix it until they pull over and switch places, Dean taking the passenger seat after he pulls into a gas station at Ellen’s request. Ellen pumps the gas then gets back in the car to drive the remainder of the way to the school.

The lecture hall is filled with people and if Dean hadn’t spent the past year of his life being in front of people he’d probably be nervous. They seem surprised when it’s him that gets up to give the speech on what they’re looking for but listen raptly. When it’s over he takes questions. He answers when he can, provides resources for them to find their own when he cannot, and generally thinks it went well.

They’re being walked back to the car when a nervous looking girl approaches them and holds out an entertainment magazine covering the Sakura Matsuri and asks for Dean’s autograph. He obliges of course, writing ‘smile’ in kanji before signing his name underneath it. It takes a minute because the magazine is flimsy so this allows for a flood of people to engulf them, most left over from the project lecture he just gave.

For an hour he gets his picture with people and signs pictures of himself, the backs of notebooks, even a laptop. Ellen watches with a little smile, obviously pleased with this. One student begs him not to quit because his little omega brother is only four but desperately wants to go to Dean’s school. Dean looks over at Ellen, almost scared expression on his face, then turns back and reassures him that he’s not quitting.

He manages to pull himself away and get to Ellen’s car with the help of some campus police that have shown up. Dean looks around the inside of car, confused and taking stock of what happened. 

“Ellen,” he starts and stops. “Ellen, am I famous?”

“You’re in magazines, I suppose you are,” she answers and drives a little too quickly to get out of campus. 

“But those are local society magazines, and Andy and Jeffrey, they were in them too, right?” Dean is honestly a little confused. 

“I haven’t seen them in there as much as you, but yes they are,” she replies with a nod, then looks at Dean carefully. “Are you bothered by this?”

“Weirded out, yes, bothered, no.” It was just surreal. He was so separated from the rest of the world that he didn’t even know of his own celebrity. Dean nods his head and looks out the window. “Matsushita has to put me back out then, if little kids want to go to the school because of me I have to be out there.”

Matsushita seems to agree. He warns Dean that people might ask him hard questions about what happened because it now widely known that Zachariah has been black listed but Dean just shakes his head and insists that they get out as soon as the next client wants him.

Dean doesn’t care. He’s been through enough. Some questions are not going to kill him. The guilt of letting down omega boys with few choices in their lives just might.

It’s starting to get warmer, silk and brocade is getting stifling to wear but he doesn’t complain as Matsushita dresses him in the blue silk with the tigers in the snow, that Andy had worn what seems like ages ago. 

It’s a small affair, the Honda plant celebrating some promotions. Dean recognizes some of the men, all Japanese. The younger taikomochi are there as well, flitting around the tables but Dean is at the side of the president of the plant at the man’s request. They speak almost entirely Japanese here. Dean manages to catch most of it, but he’s going to need a lot more practice in order to keep up completely.

He pours drinks for the table and helps hand out the awards for the promotions. It’s a subdued party but this was what he needed to get back in the swing of things. What he doesn’t need is Castiel showing up in the middle of him trying to work.

It was always curious the way Castiel could just show up out of nowhere. He’s on the outskirts of the party, standing next to a door with his legs slightly spread and hands clasped behind his back, military style. Dean glares at him before sweetly turning to Mr. Yamamoto, canting his head slightly so that the president can see into his hood at the column of neck that is sure to catch his eye. It’s meant to be alluring and from the way he briefly pauses before speaking again Dean knows it’s working. 

He can still feel Castiel’s eyes on him, boring into him, like Dean is doing something wrong, like he was the one that abandoned him. Dean ignores him, pressing his body towards his patron and flirting relentlessly. After a minute or two, Castiel disappears but Dean knows him too well to think that he’s truly gone.

It’s when he’s asked to go get a new bottle of sake that Dean sees Castiel again, standing behind the bar and putting a bottle on the marble counter top before he can ask for it.

“What are you doing?” Dean hisses and snatches the bottle up.

“Giving you the sake you were sent for,” he says coolly back, then continues when Dean gapes at him. “There are clearly two half full bottles at your table. You were sent away so they could talk business or more likely about you.”

Dean narrows his eyes. “More likely about me yes, Mr. Yamamoto will probably offer me permanent sponsorship,” he lies, thinking that if Castiel was unsettled by the thought of mizuage, he’d probably disagree with the concept of dannas.

Castiel has the gall to look hurt. “I see,” he says quietly and looks at Dean like he can’t quite believe him. Dean looks at him and shakes his head, mouth dropping open when he notices the nametag from the security company that Honda hires.

“Emmanuel Allen?” Dean looks away for a moment then back at Castiel, or James, or Emmanuel, or whatever the fuck his name really is. “You’re creepy and a stalker, I can’t believe you fooled Matsushita for so long. I’m glad he sees through you now.”

Dean can see the alpha ire starting to bubble up under Castiel’s skin. Good, he’s glad he made him angry and there is nothing he can do here, while he’s working security or pretending to.

“Yeah, he took down the pictures of you two, is so disappointed in you.” 

“Dean, I’m sorry…” Castiel’s voice is firm, like he needs to speak but Dean’s had enough of alpha posturing for the evening, at least from ones that are not paying him.

“Fuck you and your apology,” he spits back, cutting him off. “The man that bought my mizuage is banned now because what he did to me. I’ll leave that to your imagination since it’s been left to mine.” He shrugs and looks around, fanning out his hands as if he’s looking for something. “I was drugged so I don’t know what happened.”

Castiel’s mouth opens but Dean cuts him off again. “I trusted you and that’s what really hurts. I just….”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t know.” Castiel deflates completely, looking like a lost little boy and if Dean wasn’t so angry he would feel bad for him.

“Dean, are you okay?” Mr. Yamamoto touches his arm and takes the bottle of sake. He composes himself and closes his eyes and allows his arm to be tucked into the crook of the president’s elbow.

“Yes, sir, lets get back to your friends, they seemed thirsty,” he says gratefully and leans into him slightly as they turn to walk off. The next time he scans the room he no longer sees Castiel and truly feels that he is gone.


	22. Chapter 22

Dean pours himself into his work. The agent he finds sends a photographer to get pictures of every single student there but the break doesn’t come from him but the friend he inadvertently made at Andy’s wedding.

Frankie invites him to be in his husband’s music video, location shot in the redwood forests close to the okiya. He’s still got the little dog with him and is just as animated as ever but looks so out of place in the dark mourning kimono that they’ve all been dressed in. It’s good to see Frankie but what is even better is that Andy is there too, looking practically radiant. Married life is doing him well. Good, happy endings around here seem to be hard to come by.

Somehow everyone seems to know not to ask him about Castiel. He kind of wants to talk to Andy about it but at the same time he doesn’t want to ruin his friend’s nor his own good day. 

They pile into the makeup trailer and gossip and talk over each other, laughing the entire time. Dean has to remind himself that everyone in the business has to wear makeup and even Harrison Ford had to sit through this though he’s pretty sure Mr. Ford never had to listen to Jimmy, Frankie’s friend with ‘like a thousand kids’, complain how much nursing hurts his nipples. 

The stage directions are the strangest instructions Dean has ever received. The five taikomochi are to perform a synchronized tea ceremony for dead bodies, the band members with various obvious wounds, propped up in front of them. He looks at Frankie for an explanation but his friend just flaps his hands at him and says he doesn’t ‘fucking understand visual kei’. 

It’s a long day and Dean is unsure how a tea ceremony for dead people in a forest makes a music video but the producer assures him that this is like a tenth of the video. After, Frankie insists that they pile everyone into the limos and go out for dinner. It’s a whirlwind, they head into the city and get a private room at one of the best restaurants in the area. Frankie is loud and obnoxious, pouring everyone eighteen year old Suntory from his handbag when the waiters are out of the room. Dean holds up a toast but Andy shakes his head and pushes the shot glass away as Samandriel rubs a hand over his back, looking proud.

“You’re not,” Dean says incredulously, but knowing the answer already. The entire table is silent for once, watching Andy for his answer. 

“Called it,” Jeffrey says from Andy’s side and takes the shot from in front of his friend, holding both up in the air.

Frankie looks away for a second but recovers and yells ‘to the baby’ and takes his shot. Dean understands immediately, it explains the attachment to the dog and the lifestyle. He hopes they’re just having issues now and the situation resolves itself because Frankie’s face for that split second was just devastating.

They get properly smashed. Well everyone but Andy who still is laughing uncontrollably at his friends’ antics. The band members are awesome to hang out with. Dean feels like a rockstar himself and it’s only magnified when they exit the restaurant and there are honest to god paparazzi outside taking pictures of them.

Jeffrey and him pile into the back seat of Samandriel’s car while Andy gets helped into the passenger seat, the band member’s bodyguards yelling for paparazzi to get away from him. He has to admit that he loves every minute of it, especially the way the scared photographers duck away from the intimidating body guards.

Summer starts to sneak in on the okiya but Dean’s life is already moving at a fast pace. He’s booked every Friday and Saturday night, mostly outdoor parties in the California evenings. If people are aware that there is a connection between himself and the disappearance of Zachariah no one is mentioning it. Mr. Yamamoto puts Dean in a commercial for one of the Honda SUVs and even though it’s not him, Jesse and Robbie are already cast as extras in a movie, which he’s proud of since he found the agent.

Sam and Brady’s graduation is strange. Due to the distance Dean is invited to stay at Brady’s home. It’s a small house, showing Dean that this family really had been stretching to make sure that Sam’s life was a normal as possible after their mother died. 

He hasn’t slept on a pull out couch since traveling with his father. Dean tosses and turns, wanting his futon back but willing to deal with this to see his little brother graduate. At breakfast the entire family watches Dean drink coffee, one hand wrapped around the mug, the other flat underneath it. He has forgotten that this is not the way most people drank and smiles, embarrassed, explaining that there is a way to do everything properly in Japan.

After breakfast they ask Dean if they can take him anywhere. Dean thinks about it for a minute. For two years he’s been at the okiya and has been nowhere but hotels and the occasional restaurant. He’s free until Sunday and can do almost anything within reason.

“The movies?” He looks around at his brother’s adoptive family. The way they’re looking at him, like he’s cute, is kind of annoying. He’s a pretty big guy that’s bent men to his will using just words. He is not adorable. Also sword. Which he doesn’t have right now but that’s not the point.

“Are you comfortable wearing that?” Brady’s mother is looking at him sympathetically and gesturing at his entire person.

“Are you uncomfortable with me wearing it?” He didn’t own clothing except kimono and technically it wasn’t even his. Dean hadn’t though anything of it when he packed a bag for two nights, putting in something formal to wear to the graduation and dinner.

“No, it’s just that, no one here is going to make you. You could borrow some of the boy’s jeans or something.”

“Mom, stop, if he wanted to borrow clothes he would have asked.” Brady looks a little irritated at his mom. That strikes Dean that his friend is being sincere.

Dean looks at his hands. He had thought about it actually, but it made him remember the pipe dream about driving with Castiel. Sure he could pass probably if no one got too close but he didn’t want to risk it and he didn’t have a snood to wear if he did borrow jeans. 

“I’m fine,” he says firmly. “I don’t think I remember how to put on pants anyway.”

This gets nervous laughter from everyone around the table. In the end they take him to see the latest superhero movie that Dean didn’t even know was out because his okiya is located under a rock. Brady’s mother frets when people take pictures of Dean but he assures her it’s okay. 

“Mom, he’s like the rock star of omegas.” Brady chimes in. “He’s been on TV and everything.”

Dean laughs because ten seconds in a music video only shown really late at night and another five in a SUV commercial most people skipped was not a rock star. He plays it off well he thinks, even as someone is taking a picture of him from the distance. Not all of them know who he is, to most he’s just a freak omega in a hooded kimono. That’s fine with him.

The movie is great. Dean remembers how nice it had been to scrape together a couple of bucks and escape, go see something that wasn’t real for a while. He had always favored movies that were mindless, real life being hard enough.

“I’ve got dinner tonight,” he announces as they get into the battered SUV that serves as the family car.

“I’m really uncomfortable with this,” Brady’s mother mutters under her breath, pressing her head into her hand. 

“Carrie, stop, he’s offering, he must have the money,” Brady’s dad looks irritated, Dean shrinks a little. He has money, he has more than enough money. The commercial and the music video had both paid handsomely, not to mention the mizuage and the trust, though the trust had paid for Dean’s education. He wasn’t a free man but he was damn close, even though he was still learning.

“I’m not comfortable with using money from slavery,” she responds.

“Mom, don’t do this in front of him,” Brady begs. Brady is being really nice and while Dean isn’t suspicious of it, he does find it strange. He was never rude but he wasn’t exactly an omega rights fighter either. Well maybe he had become one.

“No, lets ask him, he’s the one that sold himself so you two can go to Stanford, why don’t we ask him about it, how it feels to be used in that manner.” She sounds really upset which baffles Dean since he was the one that had been through everything.

“His name is Dean,” Sam seethes through clenched teeth. The parents in the front seat are looking at Dean while Sam and Brady look anywhere but at the omega between them.

“I made five thousand bucks making tea for a dead man in a forest, it wasn’t slavery,” Dean says flatly. 

Everyone’s mouths drop open but Brady is the first to break the silence with laughter. “Oh god, you gotta see the video, it was the creepiest thing ever, but it looked so cool.”

Dean laughs too. “I’m pretty sure if people other than omegas got to choose my line of work they would, Mrs. Brady,” he says politely. “I stayed out until two in the morning last weekend shooting fire works with drunk CEOs. One tried to give me his car.”

“You’re not sleeping with them,” Mrs. Brady asks flatly at the same time that Brady and Sam are asking why he didn’t take the car.

“No.” Dean cracks a smile.

“You’re sure.”

Dean nods slowly. “I’m pretty sure I’d notice.” The irony isn’t lost on him. 

The rest of the car ride is sociable and blissfully short. Dean heads up to the shared room with his brother and friend, sitting on a desk chair that Brady pulls out for him. He had insisted on getting his bag too, so he could change from the hooded yukata into the more formal kimono he had packed for tonight.

Dean gives them their gifts for graduation, red envelopes with checks in them. “We’ve had enough public discussions about money, so lets just keep that to ourselves.” Sam and Brady nod then change into their khakis and blazers.

“I don’t know who’s scarier,” Brady says with a snort as he tightens his tie. “You putting my mom in her place, or your boyfriend.”

“My what?” Dean is laying out the parts to the kimono on the bottom bunk but he stops and looks over at Brady, voice impassive.

“The blue eyed guy,” he says, sounding sheepish. “I mean I know he’s not really your boyfriend but like you both look like you’re into each other and he must be really into you because he told me if that I needed to be careful around you and if I wanted a shot with Kevin I’d never speak to that Epstein dude again. Which is fine I didn’t want to go to his party anyway.”

“When did he invite you to a party?” Dean is trying to keep himself from shaking because he knows the answer that is coming.

“At the cherry blossom thing.”

“No, when was the party,” Dean clarifies, struggling to keep his voice even.

“Couple of weeks after that.” Brady pauses and Sam is looking at Dean like he’s worried. “Are you okay, bro?”

Dean presses his lips together. “Yes I’m fine, but I need to change. Can I borrow your room?”

“Dean,” Sam starts, not believing him. Dean holds up his hand dismissing them.

“It’s going to take a while and I don’t want to makes us late for dinner.”

Both boys exit the room. Dean sucks in a breath and closes his eyes. Alistair had invited his brother’s friend to a party that had taken place the night of Dean’s mizuage and Castiel had threatened him not to go. Castiel wasn’t in that circle, there is no way for him to have known that Zachariah was going to demand the mizuage the next evening. It had to be just a generic warning.

If Castiel knew of the plans and did nothing to stop it, then he was just as bad of a monster as Alistair and Zachariah. He snorts and stands to undo do the obi over the yukata. One thing was for certain, he had been used and passed around, between two vile and disgusting men that night, probably more. Dean pulls off the cotton garment and readjusts the layers underneath, using the mirror.

He looks at himself for a long time, just the juban, unhooded. What did people see? Why did they care? No one took a picture of the omega that was carting a kid or two, looking harried. Then again you rarely saw those. Omega meant last, hidden. Alphas that mistreated their omegas, or just ignored them didn’t bring them out. Frankie was seen, Andy was seen. Not that Ren nor Samandriel consciously put their spouses out on show, but those that had nothing to hide were more likely to go out. And you could tell by the way Ren and Samandriel looked at Frankie and Andy that they were enamored.

What people saw was something that existed for them. He wasn’t mated, he was dressed this way to be made mysterious and alluring. So therefore, in their minds, he existed for them.

Dean shrugs on the silk kimono and tugs it closed, scowling at the white under robes. They should still be red. He didn’t even remember losing his virginity. If it was supposed to be special it should be special for him. He should have been kicking and screaming and pounding the mattress with his fists. Not because it was a false commodity being taken from him in the form of rape. But because someone should have cared about him enough that the first time he did something it was the best experience for him and he was kicking and screaming and pounding the mattress with his fists because it felt that fucking good.

He pulls on the hood and ties over the kimono so he can start working on the obi. It’s armor. This is his armor and he’s stronger for it.

The graduation ceremony is more of the same. Random people take picture of him, most not even asking. Mr. and Mrs. Brady are put off by it, that much is obvious but there isn’t much he can do about it. 

He screams the loudest when Sam walks across the stage and gets his diploma. People are looking at him but he’s so excited for his little brother. And in some small way he is responsible for his brother getting to go to his dream school. When the ceremony is over he hugs his brother tightly and thumps him on the back. It’s probably not the behavior most of the people around are used to seeing coming from an omega but Dean can’t be bothered to care. 

“Thanks, Dean,” Brady says politely from behind them. Dean scoops him into a hug too, making him grunt with surprise

“Look after my little brother at Stanford, okay?”

Brady nods and tries to look grown up. Dean can’t help but smile at him. Maybe he’d be one of the good ones.

The restaurant that they go to after the ceremony is not the nicest place that Dean has ever been to but he guesses that’s because the Bradys didn’t want to make him spend too much money. Dean wants to. He is on his way to being self-supportive and wants to treat his little patchwork family to a good meal as much as he wants to celebrate for himself.

Dinner is a little awkward given the events of the day and that people are still staring at him but they strike up polite conversation about college. Dean is trained in the art of directing conversation. He should be able to handle a tense family dinner without problems. 

When the bill comes he’s excited. Never before has Dean paid for anything but he has his debit card and almost jumps to get it out the little pouch that he would normally keep tea paper in his obi. The waiter raises an eyebrow but takes it. Dean can’t help but beam at the table while he waits for it to be brought back.

Everyone thanks him profusely but Dean just plays it off of course. He leaves a tip then everyone gets up to head home. On the ride home it’s obvious that Sam and Brady are kind of irritated which of course Dean blames on himself. He sits with his head ducked, thinking that he didn’t get to bring them to a nice enough restaurant or maybe the check wasn’t enough.

The sad thing is, he doesn’t know enough about normal high school kid interactions to try to make this right. Brady has his phone in his hands and is viciously texting. Oh that’s right, friends. Sam and Brady would probably rather be hanging out with their friends than keeping a boring omega company.

“What are your friends doing,” he asks innocently.

“Uh, a party,” Brady replies, sheepishly. Sam looks like he would rather be anywhere else but here having this conversation. 

“You guys should go.” Dean watches Brady’s parents tense a little in the front seat. 

“We barely get to see you,” Sam pipes in. He sounds very unconvincing.

“Come with us,” Brady says, sounding a bit more persuasive. 

“Guys.” Brady’s mother is looking at them through the rear view, obviously opposed to all this. Dean hesitates. Going with them meant they’d go and not miss out on something important for high school kids even though he was apprehensive. Even living with his father he never got to experience something like this. Which is why maybe he should do it, see how the rest of the world lived.

“Okay.” Dean’s head is held high.

Mrs. Brady worries her lip with her teeth. “Dean, are you sure? They’re going to be drinking and alpha boys get handsy.”

“Well it’s good to see that the burden of my safety depends on me and not alphas keeping their hands to themselves,” he responds darkly. 

“Mom, we’ll be right there, nothing is going to happen to him.” Brady is practically begging. It’s not doing anything to improve Dean’s mood. He can take care of himself. 

They pull into the driveway and there is some sort of awkward staring contest between the Bradys. Sam is slumped in his seat, probably not wanting his opinion to sway the argument. Mrs. Brady sighs and holds up her keys. 

“If you drink at all, call us,” she states, face firm. She sighs again, looking at her husband. “Maybe we should just drop them off. I remember high school.”

Brady’s phone buzzes. “There’s crash space,” he reads from the screen. With that, they’re all getting out of the back of the SUV and running to the smaller car before the parents can protest too much. Brady gets the back door for Dean then smiles and waves at his parents. Dean’s laughing now, they had all been so eager to get out of that situation it must have looked like clowns exiting a tiny car.

They peel out backing out the driveway, as if Brady’s parents were still going to change their mind. Dean has to brace himself in the back seat as they take corners. Brady slows when they’re a little bit away, headed out to the cusp of the suburbs where the houses get further and further apart.

Dean waits in the backseat of the car until he remembers normal people get doors for themselves and gets out. The cars are parked along both sides of the road, stretching for what would be several city blocks. They walk together, Dean’s geta making a soft clacking on the pavement. 

As they approach they see the party has already spilled onto the lawn. There is a group of people in a circle passing multiple joints around, a couple making out on the side of the house. Dean can’t help but have his mouth hang open a little as he takes it all in. He can hear someone say ‘whoa’ and someone else go ‘that’s so fucking cool. Dean hates to be self centered but he can only imagine that it’s about him since he’s the only hooded omega in a kimono walking around.

“Oh my god is that you’re brother?” A girl squeals as she runs up to Sam. “My mom said she saw one at graduation!”

One, like he’s something for show. Oh wait, he is.

“They usually leave us in the curio but occasionally we pick the locks and escape,” he responds then rolls his eyes and heads up the front walk. If he was going to deal with this so his brother could have normal high school experiences he was going to need a drink first. Behind him he can hear Sam making excuses then shoes pounding the cement to catch up.

Dean doesn’t wait, he goes right in through the front door and pauses, looking around. People are staring but he doesn’t care, he just puts on his most confident smirk and heads to the kitchen where he can see various booze bottles filling every available purpose of the kitchen island. He lifts a lid on a pitcher and sniffs it, shaking his head when his nostrils are accosted with something too sweet.

“Plebeians,” he says, sounding affront then heads to the dining room, looking for the china cabinet. Sure enough there is a shaker and strainer in the cabinet underneath. He walks back to the kitchen counter with it, no feeling more eyes on him than at any social even he’s ever worked.

Out of the corner of his eye he can see Sam laughing and shaking his head. Dean sets to task, pouring what he needed into the shaker, not looking at anyone else. He yawns and starts shaking, looking bored as he notices that the only cups are plastic red ones. “Really,” he says exasperated, just as there is a clink of glass on granite and someone with a wolfish grin slides a martini glass towards him.

Dean grins right back and pours the bourbon Manhattan in the glass. The music is pounding in another part of the house but in the kitchen no one is making a sound, all eyes on him.

“Can I have one?” He’s staring Dean down like he’s something delicious to eat. Dean rolls his shoulders and nods once. 

“Of course,” he responds, aware of Sam’s presence a few steps behind him. Dean starts the whole process over again this time pouring the contents into one of the red plastic cups.

“Azazel!” Brady slides between them, beer already in hand. “This is Dean! Sam’s brother!”

Dean smiles and lifts his glass in a toast. People are starting to go back to whatever they were doing before so the noise is picking back up. Azazel. Had to be an omega born alpha. 

“Sam’s brother,” Azazel repeats. “Interesting.”

“Very,” Dean says, not really finding another boring alpha interesting. Something flickers on Azazel’s face that is worry or concern, Dean’s not sure what. While he doesn’t like being babysat, there’s something not quite right about this guy. “It was a pleasure meeting you,” he lies and lifts his glass before turning and heading towards his brother, who now has Jess tucked under his arm. She hugs him hello, which is no less strange than strange alphas appearing from nowhere with needed glassware.

“I hate him,” she whispers in his ear before pulling away. “I’m glad you came out.”

So his inclination about Azazel was correct. Any guilt about judging someone so quickly fades away.

The three of them head into the living room where people are dancing, pretty badly. As soon as they’ve stepped foot though they turn around and head for the stairs. Sam slumps to sit on one, Jess sitting between his legs on the step below him. Dean drops to sit seiza in front of them. It’s still loud but they can talk and the staircase is wide enough that the few people that need to up and down it don’t step on Sam or Jess.

They talk about first semester plans and work study programs, trying to get educated when you have no rights and what it’s like to get a new student at the school. People stop buy to be introduced, some want pictures. Sam and Jess are splitting a beer, Dean’s sipping at his Manhattan, more concerned with people watching than getting drunk.

When he does get up to make another one he gets stuck behind the kitchen island turned bar, making candy flavored shots and chatting people up. Sam is there, of course, not letting his brother out of sight. After a half hour, Dean has everyone crammed into the kitchen, telling lewd stories and teaching the crowd how to make napkins into the shapes of penises.

He excuses himself after a while, almost laughing at the way Brady puffs himself up when he asks to be do shown to the bathroom. Dean manages to choke the laughter down, ducking his head as he’s brought up the stairs. He recovers in the bathroom when he’s done relieving himself, looking in the mirror and straightening his clothing out. All his apprehension is gone. Azazel was creepy but he was a high school kid, no harm whatsoever.

Dean grins at Brady as he exits the bathroom, noting that his friend is a little drunk as he offers his elbow. He knows it’s making Brady’s night to be Dean’s escort so he tucks his hand into the proffered arm and starts down the stairs. 

His eye is caught buy the family photos on the wall as he heads down the stairs. There are posed pictures of Azazel in a football uniform. Some with a younger sibling, but no pictures of the omega that bore them. He frowns as he searches for one but finds none. There’s a picture of a group of skiers at the top of mountain, smiling into the camera. Dean squints at it then nearly becomes sick.

“You okay?” Brady asks, looking horrified as Dean curls in on himself.

“I want to go home,” he says, feeling terrible. “I’m sorry, I’ll pay for a cab if you’re drunk.”

“Dean, what’s wrong?” Brady sounds confused which is to be expected, most people don’t double over from looking at pictures.

“You should have told me this house belonged to Alistair,” he says and pulls away to get down the stairs. Sam is at the bottom, looking at Brady like this was his fault.

“What?” Brady turns towards the wall and looks at the pictures. When he sees what Dean is talking about his mouth drops open. “Dude, I am so sorry.”

“What is it?” Jess looks confused as well. “I can drive you home. I had like, a quarter of a beer and got a ride here anyway.”

They start bustling out, people are looking at Dean concerned and he hates that he looks like a weak willed omega now but he’s pretty sure seeing a picture of one of your brother’s school friends with his tormentor would unsettle anyone. Behind him he can hear Brady handing the keys off to Jess and telling her Zachariah and Alistair were in a few pictures together with Azazel. That made it worse, Dean had only seen the one. More than one meant they had more contact with each other.

Brady and Sam give Dean the front passenger seat. He curls up as much as he can and looks out the window.

“We won’t talk to him ever again,” Brady promises meekly.

“Thanks,” he says. “I’m not wrong right, for the guilty by associating thing?”

“No, Dean he’s a creep.” Jess side eyes him as she pulls off. “It explains a lot actually.”

“Okay,” he says with a nod, feeling vindicated. They’re silent the rest of the drive until they get back to Brady’s house. Sam and Brady pile into one bed while Jess and Dean get in the other. She keeps a hand between Dean’s shoulder blades the entire night and he’s not bothered by it at all.

A week later he’s sitting in the library to check his email, still sweaty from practicing the routine for the summer solstice with the younger taikomochi. Dean gulps his water and clicks Sam’s email. His eyes go wide and his mouth drops open as he reads.

_Sorry I didn’t get back to you yesterday. Creeper Azazel wrecked his car the night of the party and we had to run off for the funeral. The others were there too. I don’t know why they freaked you out but I respect your privacy and that you have to work with them._

_See you at the Solstice festival._


	23. Chapter 23

The best news of the summer break comes to the okiya a few days before the Summer Solstice. Ben is standing over Dean’s futon with a piece of printer paper shaking it at him madly. The look on his face is one of absolute elation, like he could start screaming at any minute.

"Dean look!” Ben shakes the paper in Dean’s direction again. “Zachariah Adler had a heart attack and died!"

That has him shooting out of his bedroll and looking at Ben, mouth hanging open. The younger of the two shoves the paper into the elder's hand, grinning.

"Checked my email this morning,” he explains, grinning like crazy. “Mom sent it. I told her that Adler was a dick ages ago, no specifics, just a dick and she emailed me his obit, saying she guesses karma caught up to him."

The obit doesn’t mention anything about being a mizuage collector or anything unbecoming about Zachariah but it does say that he left his job a few weeks ago. Dean knows that’s not quite true even if no one has said anything about it to him. “Good,” he seethes at the printout. “Good fucking riddance.”

While it is probably wrong to delight in someone’s death, Dean can’t help himself. His only regret is that he couldn’t have caused it himself. If that makes him a terrible person, then so be it. 

Jeffrey is ecstatic when he hears and there is visible relief on Kevin’s and Ollie’s faces. Matsushita says nothing but seems a little bit brighter when they work on dance and Japanese later that day one of the only three classes they take during summer along with music and dance. All in all, the mood in the okiya is happier. 

Dean hates to be paranoid but he thinks it is a bit odd that someone connected to Alistair and Zachariah died a few days before Zachariah himself and under such suspicious circumstances. If he believed in such things he would say that he did have a guardian angel. Not Castiel though, then he would have never been drugged and taken advantage of if that had been the case.

Maybe Ben’s mother was right, maybe it was karma. Dean just didn’t have that much faith in anything to think that people would be punished without some sort of hand to guide the punishment. So who was the hand? Mr. Akiyama? He laughs at the thought of his old friend becoming a vengeful kami like in one of the Shinto stories he’s read since coming to the okiya.

It was ridiculous as nice of a thought as it was.

It’s always in the back of his mind as he returned to his normal routine. Summer Solstice was the kick off of summer festivals in Japanese culture and they have a lot performances coming up. Solstice would be huge but apparently Tanabata was going to be even bigger. Dean thrums constantly with excitement. He is finally moving on, learning more, taking more responsibility with the students.

Just the older boys go this time. This is Jeffrey’s last performance. Dean’s sad that he won’t be there for the big Tanabata festival that all the students will be at but he gets it that the one in Japan will probably be a lot more fun. It would be an amazing introduction to Japan.

It is strange knowing that people are missing that normally attend. Zachariah is dead and Alistair is nowhere to be seen. Dean wonders if Alistair had the same thought about some sort of benevolent force taking care of Dean from beyond the grave. He also wonders if that means Azazel had been there, invited purely to take advantage of Dean. Maybe they even wanted it to get back to him that Azazel and Sam attended the same school. Perfect mind games to play with someone that absolutely could not defend himself.

Dean scowls from his spot at the back of the stage. This was not getting over it and moving on, this was dwelling. He likes this park but there are memories here. The koi pond reminds him of Castiel. The building where he had to hand out the rice cakes for his mizuage looms in the distance. Was it like this for everyone? If it was is that why people thought omegas were overemotional and hysterical? 

He would really like to see someone of another gender designation react any differently, especially in this situation. 

It’s an afternoon celebration, but the lanterns have been strung around the walkways for them to light later. Dean watches people take their seats before the stage at little tables with cushions to sit on. There are booths lining the walkways again, games for children and adults. He finds himself envious of Jeffrey arriving at the start of the festivals even though Dean is staying here to make it better for the rest of them. 

He has to stay or someone might have to go through what happened to him again and he can’t let that happen. Ben sits next to him, poking at that ever-present iPad with one finger. They banter back and forth, Dean teasing him that he’s going to ruin his eyes, Ben teasing back that he would be fine because he wasn’t as old as Dean.

Their performance goes without a hitch. Dean never thought he would find such a rhythm with dance at all, especially not with new students cycling in. Jeffrey is front and center as he should be. He has made a killing here and he’s going to only get better overseas.

Everyone but Ollie heads down into the crowd to entertain as the shamisen and koto group takes the stage. Dean is flagged down by Mr. Yamamoto and his usual group as soon as he comes around the side of the stage. He grins big and heads over, bowing before taking the spot that the group has made for him.

Once Ollie’s performance has finished they make the usual small talk, compliment the redwood themed kimono Dean is wearing and his proficiency with the katana and fan. He bows from his seated position and disagrees politely, something that he’s been taught the Japanese like to see when a compliment is given.

Even though Matsushita and Ellen’s tough as nails daughter, Jo, is here to escort the taikomochi, Dean still feels like he needs to be watching out for the younger students. Kevin is seated with a group of college aged Japanese men, probably here on internships. Ollie is being engaged by some other higher-ups, but Ben is nowhere to be seen. 

Dean tries not to panic. Ben is crafty when he wants to be and since he has no intention to ever try to gain anything from this life, it’s likely he snuck off to play his games or just stayed backstage. He takes a sip of sake after pouring some for his guest at his left. The men are talking about business but in Japanese. It’s his clue to sit there, look pretty, and keep the drinks filled. 

He can see Sam sitting off with Brady and Jess. Jess apparently sprung for a yukata and she looks damn good in it. She’s not the only American in one, there is a booth from Japan selling them here. Dean smiles, she looks happy and she should be, having her whole life ahead of her. His smile turns into a laugh as he sees Brady shooting daggers at the college kids Kevin is entertaining. Sam looks a little off put that he can’t spend time with his brother and shrugs when Dean gestures at the men in an apology.

After his next performance he makes a beeline for the table his friends are at, purposely not looking at Mr. Yamamoto. “Sorry, he likes…”

“Arm candy?” Sam suggests, trying to keep a straight face. Dean gives him an irritated look then they both break into laughter. When Dean covers his mouth with his hand as he laughs, Sam looks at him curiously, no doubt thinking that the bashful and passive behavior is a victory. A blushing and obedient omega is what everyone wants to see and now Dean is just that.

“I’m eating octopus,” Jess says cheerfully, holding up a piece on the little pick. Dean kneels to sit down next to her and steals one of the fried dough balls off the tray. 

“You look great in that,” he compliments after he swallows. It’s a simple floral design in pink with a bright yellow obi. Combined with her blonde hair piled on top of her head, Jess looks like a flower.

“I look like I’m wearing curtains next to you but I figured since you’d be doing this for like, ever, I might as well have the right thing to wear when we come see you.” Jess grins as she pops another piece in her mouth.

“You all need some, then.” Dean suggests. He’s brimming with happiness that it’s understood among the group that they are going to be spending time at Dean’s events together. Maybe Stanford won’t mean they won’t see each other after all.

“I tried but they said they would look dumb,” Jess complains, huffing. “I’m going to make them look at pictures from the next thing coming up. From what I saw they’re going to be the odd ones out if they’re not dressed up.”

“You’re right,” Dean replies sagely, nodding. Jess and him laugh at Brady and Sam who sigh indignantly and look at each other like they’ve been defeated. Dean leans in to whisper into Jess’ ear that he’ll send Kevin over to suggest it in a few. He bets her that Brady will be leaving with one.

He has to go back to the stage occasionally for performances, but he makes his rounds until it grows dark. Ben has emerged and is now at Mr. Yamamoto’s table and Kevin is stalking off with Brady. Dean is still wary but he is more relaxed then he was earlier.

Andy and Samandriel are here, Andy’s stomach rising slightly under the now higher obi. Dean swallows hard, looking concerned when his friend takes his hand to spread over the hardened bump. Wasn't he supposed to want that too? Does it make him a sell out and a failure if he does? He just smiles, lips pressed together then wishes them the best of luck. They don’t need it, they’re going to be amazing parents.

When the sun is nearly set he heads to the koi pond with Sam and Jess, Samandriel and Andy close behind to light the floating lanterns and shove them towards the center. Even with his friends around he feels a little lonely. Dean reminds himself that he chose this. Unmated meant people would come and go around him. 

“You’re outshining the lanterns.”

Dean smiles as he turns around then bows low. Mr. Yamamoto returns the bow, keeping his distance. Carefully, under the guise of looking at the lanterns so his friend won’t notice he looks over his shoulder to make sure that he can still see the group he came down with. There is no reason to not trust Mr. Yamamoto but the wariness of being alone with an alpha is making him at a loss for words. 

“I’m very taken by you,” he continues. Dean’s heart is sinking because shit, here it comes, the offer of permanent sponsorship or to leave the okiya. He looks at his feet. Mr. Yamamoto laughs. “Everyone is.”

Dean turns his attention back to Mr. Yamamoto who is now gesturing towards the crowds around the koi pond. “You’re captivating. I understand that you came to the okiya late but it's a mystery as to why you haven't been spoken for."

Because I'm not a piece of furniture or the last piece of pie, he internalizes though he's smiling gratefully.

“I’m married,” Mr. Yamamoto continues, “I’m not able to give you what you deserve but I can give you security. It's for the better because you should be teaching, you should be at the okiya and out entertaining, not hidden away.”

“You want to give me what I deserve in exchange for sex,” Dean says quietly, looking anywhere but his friend’s face. Some friend, playing nice just to get a chance to purchase regular sex.

“I would hope that you would want that too.” Mr. Yamamoto steps forward to take Dean’s hand. He is tall for someone Japanese, when Dean lifts his head again he’s staring into his eyes and shit the guy is freaking sincere. This makes it even harder. 

“I don’t want to insult your wife,” he excuses feebly. If he is this good at self fulfilling prophesies maybe he should say he's going to win the lottery.

“My wife is a very nice person but we married to make other people happy not ourselves. She has her yoga instructor, I can tell they’re in love.”

"Are you in love with me?" Dean wasn't going to beat around the bush any more. He knew that taikomochi and their dannas could be very much in love even if they couldn't be mated.

"Yes." Well there it is. Mr. Yamamoto takes another step forward. "I've been watching you since your debut. Your honored Akiyama caused me a lot of jealousy."

“Cas,” he starts and then stops eyes wide, covering his mouth with both his hands. Dean clears his throat then coughs. If that was Castiel he’d probably be saying yes, so there was no reason to say no to Mr. Yamamoto. “Mr. Akiyama was kind enough to pay for my education but we were just friends.”

“I could pay for more, send you to Japan. We could go together.” Mr. Yamamoto sounds almost desperate. Dean shakes his head. He was confused as to whether he missed Castiel or Mr. Akiyama or maybe a bit of both. This man could be both, a lover and a friend, someone that made sure he was taken care of so that the okiya prospered. There is no reason logically to refuse. 

“Yeah, okay,” he says with a nod. Suddenly he’s accosted, pulled into a hug that lasts for several seconds. Dean gives a polite amount of pressure back, unused to contact from someone other than other omegas or family. He guesses he's going to have to get used to it, because soon he will be expected of much more.

Mr. Yamamoto pulls back, smiling widely. “I’m going to make you the happiest you’ve ever been.” He nods his head up the bank, an indication that they should get moving. Dean is only aware now that Andy was watching the entire time, a knowing look on his face. Great, now he had to live with a façade that he was happy in this decision.

Dean takes the outstretched hand and lets himself be led up the path to the walkway. Money. It made everything better. He was going to be doing so much good for those boys. Maybe instead of paying him, Mr. Yamamoto, did Dean call him Hiro now, would send some students overseas with the exchange program he was hoping to start.

There is a crowd gathering to watch the fireworks before the park closes to the public and everyone else goes to have cocktails at the Sumitomo building. Andy finds his way over and gets on tiptoe to whisper into Dean’s ear.

“He bid and he waited," Andy says quietly. "He deserves you and he’s one of the nicest people that I’ve ever met. You’re going to be so happy.” Andy squeezes his arm and looks at him, obviously proud. It makes Dean’s stomach knot up. Any name that wasn't Castiel's had been ignored but he supposes now that he thinks of it, Mr. Yamamoto had put in a bid for his mizuage. And still wanted him after he lost.

The first firework explodes, pink in the sky, and Dean feels like he’s on colt’s legs as he's pulled into Mr. Yamamoto's space.. The second one and he wants to lay down and never get up. Every pop feels like it’s rocking him to his core but he stays smiling, gracious.

Sam and Jess come up to say their goodbyes. They hug and promise to try to get around for Tanabata. When Brady attempts a bow Dean notices he has a big bag from the yukata booth and a grinning Kevin behind him. Dean’s smile gets a little more sincere. This is why he was doing it, so his brother could have his life and omegas had more choices. 

He’s escorted up to the building, it’s obvious that Mr. Yamamoto was proud of his new acquisition. Dean puts on the show, keeping the hood a little lower, smiling demurely. People are staring and that’s good, it’s what Mr. Yamamoto, wait Hiro, wants. 

They sit at his table and do more of the same. Dean notices that Hiro is more handsy now. There is a palm resting on his thigh at all times, while the men talk business. At a certain point Dean is able to understand enough to interject with the proper Japanese phrase, causing an uproar of laughter and a language jump back to English. He chides them on talking so much business and suggests they play a game instead. It’s obviously exactly what Hiro wants to hear from the way his fingers tense and release as he smiles. Dean forces himself to cover his danna’s hand with his own and lean in slightly. 

Hiro was a good guy, Dean could learn to love him. As an omega that’s what he was here for, other people’s happiness.

It’s well after midnight when Dean notices that the party has dwindled to only a few people. Kevin and Ollie are flirting with the college guys, everyone involved looking a little tipsy. Matsushita and Jo look like their caffeine wore off hours ago and are struggling to stay awake. But there’s no Ben. Dean panics, but manages to keep his composure long enough to lean in and give a quick peck to Hiro’s cheek, then excusing himself and hurrying away.

He can hear Jo's heel's clacking behind him and a voice that seems too distant to be real telling him to wait. Shit, was he expected to have sex tonight? He’s being called after but all he can think about is Ben being raped or even just harassed and he needs to find him. He is almost to the hall when his wrist is gabbed gently and Hiro is telling him to calm down but all Dean can do is think about getting away. This is his fault. He has to stop it.

The hand tightens around his wrist. Dean lets out a yelp that's completely undignified. 

Everyone stops what they’re doing and looks at him. Dean is clutching his wrist like it’s been burned to his chest and Hiro is looking at him like he’s killed something helpless. 

“Dean.” Jo comes up from behind him, giving him a wide berth, hands out like she’s approaching a wild animal. She looks so out of place in a little black dress and heels but she pulls it off. “Dean, baby, what’s wrong?”

“Ben,” he says, breathing hard. Shit, he’s overreacting. No wonder omegas don’t have rights.

“Ben is sleeping at the hotel,” Jo says gently. “He got bored with this hours ago.”

“Security.” Dean's eyes are wide. People are starting to get up and go. He’s ruined Hiro’s impromptu celebration. Dean feels tears accumulate on the underside of his chin.

“Security is there Dean, I hired them myself.” Hiro has a handkerchief out for Dean and is approaching slowly. He knows this is not the reaction anyone should be having about a missing student, it’s written all over his face.

There are murmurs around him. Dean can practically see people thinking maybe he was gang raped, to be having this reaction. They're looking at him with knowing concern. They pity him. He takes the proffered handkerchief and thanks his friends, relenting to their care. Carefully Hiro and Jo lead him to the elevators and through the halls. Dean keeps his head down, thinking he’s ruined everything. 

Hiro shushes him, tells him it’s okay and he’ll see him next weekend. Oh yeah, sex. Men don’t pay to watch omegas have hysterical fits in the middle of ballrooms. They pay for sex. He hears Jo thank Mr. Yamamoto for his help as she fumbles to get the keycard into the door. Dean feels foolish but is still in a daze as he goes in, eyes tracking immediately to the bed. As promised, Ben is asleep in one of the hotel beds, laying on his side, iPad still playing some TV show. He shakes his head to try to make himself more conscious.

“If something did happen to him, Adler is dead there’s no justice to be had.” Matsushita's voice is faint, determined. He must have followed them and is talking to Hiro.

Dean’s vaguely aware he’s being undressed and that the voices are on the other side of the door. Jo is the one undressing him, not really sure what she’s doing but being careful.

“No one reacts to being touched like that by a friend.” Both Jo and Dean are keening towards the door, eager to hear more. “What are you not telling me, Toshi?”

Dean looks at Jo. She motions to the bed but he just shakes his head, he should hear this, it was his body. They both start towards the door but the voices move away. He gives a resigned sigh then collapses into the bed next to Ben and curls around him almost immediately falling asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I accidentally named Dean's danna after the bassist of Soundgarden then left it because it's a damn good band.


	24. Chapter 24

Dean wakes up in bed alone but he can tell there are people in the room. Ben is getting dressed by Kevin while Ollie watches cartoons on the other bed, Jo sitting behind him in jeans and a t-shirt. She looks much more comfortable like this, crosslegged and watching TV as well, striped socks poking out from her jeans. He gives a grunt as he pushes himself up. Last night was a disaster and he needs to go apologize if Hiro is still around.

“Heya Dean,” Jo says casually, smiling like nothing is wrong. “Mr. Yamamoto called for you, said he’d like to take you to breakfast if you’re up for it.”

Dean pulls a face. If the emotionally compromised omega is up for it, he means. Great. He swings his legs over the side of the bed and rubs his eyes. Jeffrey brings over a cup of coffee and sits next to him, not fully dressed but in his under robe. Dean takes it with a thanks then sips it.

“He’s going to ask to sponsor you,” Jeffrey says knowingly.

“Already did.” Dean’s tone is flat, like it’s no big deal. Everyone turns to look at him, eyes wide and curious. Ben’s mouth is a perfect O. He drinks his coffee, not really looking at any of them.

“Well?” Kevin is the one that finally asks.

“I said yes.”

There is an impromptu group hug on the bed, the other omegas crowding onto him. Dean has to hold his coffee aloft so it doesn’t spill. He can’t help but laugh and not give up much of a protest. 

“Are you staying at the okiya or is he getting you your own place.” Ollie keeps his arms around Dean’s waist as he chatters. “I’ve heard they do that sometimes, they rent out apartments and you get to live by yourself. I read one’s blog that lives in New York. The danna’s wife is cool with it and everything.”

Dean laughs again. “I’m staying at the okiya,” he assures the younger boy. “I can’t trust all of you by yourselves, you’ll burn it down.”

“Get off!” Jeffrey is stuck at the bottom of this fray and even though he sounds playful there is just enough edge in his voice to send the boys scrambling to the other bed. “There,” he says highly and pulls the under robe tighter. “Lets get the diva ready for his date. I’m so glad there is going to be someone capable making money for this okiya after I’m gone.”

Dean rolls his eyes but gets up and drains the rest of his coffee. Matsushita has entered through the side door and is studying him. “I’ll call Mr. Yamamoto,” he says before heading back to the other room.

Jeffrey throws a duffle on the bed to go through, pulling out simple gray yukata and a green obi. “I want to try something. Saw it on the internet.” He gets to wrapping Dean up, who stands there obediently because after a couple years of this he’s learned not to fight it.

The end result is pretty amazing. Instead of the wide brocade obi he wears over silk or the cotton one over his navel this one is low and tied to the side in a hanging bow.

“Only whores tie in the front,” Ben says dryly even though he’s looking at his iPad.

“It’s on his side!” Jeffrey protests. “This is what they’re selling in Japan for the festival season, the superstar needs to look like he knows what’s up over there.”

Dean considers the apparently fashionably tied obi in the mirror, lips quirked to one side of his face, nose wrinkled. “I like it.”

Jeffrey looks vindicated as he starts shrugging on his own yukata. “Come on everyone get ready, we can spy on Dean having his date and I need to stuff myself full of omelets before I head to Japan where there is no cheese.”

“You can always stay,” Dean teases and slides his feet into zori. He drums his toes against the lacquered wood. Now not wearing socks feels funny. “I don’t think I could give up cheese for a better education.” He helps Jeffrey with the obi, starting to mimic the way his own is done but Jeffrey tell him to do it regularly so he stands out when Mr. Yamamoto sees him.

“I’ll take you down now, Dean,” Matsushita informs as he enters the room again. Dean nods as he yanks the knot into place. He gives Jeffrey’s arm a little squeeze then heads out of the hotel room with his sensei, pulling on the hood as he goes.

“He is going to ask you your fee for this,” Matsushita explains as they walk. “The current average is around a thousand dollars monthly. You will be expected to be available to him when you’re not entertaining unless you are in heat.” Matsushita tilts his head slightly, obviously thinking. Dean inhales then nods. A thousand bucks a month was good for the okiya.

“You’re full of surprises.” Matsushita side eyes Dean like he’s not sure if he should go on. “I’m sorry things didn’t work out between you and Castiel. He let you down and then inexplicably cut off communication with me.”

It cuts like a knife, to be reminded of Castiel. Dean just waves him off and pretends that he doesn’t care. It’s easier. “Things are looking up now. I’ll survive.”

Matsushita pats his shoulder, lips pressed together in an uneasy smile. “You showed everyone. Our little okiya now has a waiting list. I’m trying to get my old theater friends from Japan to come open another one.”

Dean beams, his teeth are actually showing he’s smiling so big. This was great news. The elevator dings and they step on. “Where?”

His sensei pushes the first floor button. “The south needs a good school but we worry about finding work without a large Japanese population and we worry about making parents travel so far to see their children.”

“We’ll figure something out,” Dean encourages.

“Coming from you I believe it.” The door dings again and they step out. Dean follows his teacher, glad that the zori don’t make as much noise as geta. When his shoes clack it makes people turn and look at him then take pictures.

Matsushita hangs back as soon as Dean spots Hiro and makes his way over, heading to a table elsewhere in the restaurant where the other students will soon join him. Great, they were going to spy on him. He doesn’t let this affect his smile as he heads over to his friend, squeezing his eyes shut and laughing when his cheek is kissed.

As soon as he’s seated he holds up his hands so Hiro won’t say anything then scowls at the empty and used coffee cup on the table in front of him. Dean scoots it to the side, shaking his head. Couldn’t they have seated him at a clean table with how empty the restaurant is? 

“First, sorry about last night, I’m nervous when I can’t find my students.” He pauses but when Hiro says nothing he continues. “You probably think I’m damaged or something and I might be just a little bit but who isn’t? The fact of the matter is the only person that knows what happened the night of my mizuage is Zachariah Adler and he’s dead so it will have to be a mystery. I understand if you don’t want me any more.”

Dean flags the waitress down and hands her the used coffee cup with an incredulous look. She apologizes and hurries away.

“I’m only concerned about your safety,” Hiro says. Dean smiles. Of course he is, this was a good idea. “I’m so sorry I didn’t win it. I had only spoken to you a handful of times in passing before the bidding but like so many other people I was enraptured.”

“Flatterer,” Deans says in return, trying not to play it cool. 

“You should be. And often.”

The waitress comes back with a clean cup and offers to take their orders as she pours Dean’s coffee. They both get traditional Japanese breakfast quickly so she’ll leave.

“I suppose I need to lay out the terms of our agreement,” Hiro says shyly. Dean nods. It spoke to Hiro’s respectfulness that he was discussing the sponsorship with Dean when he didn’t have to. All Hiro was required to do was talk to Sam and Matsushita, ask them where to send the money and when he was allowed to have Dean. 

“All of your expenses will be covered, including room and board paid to the okiya. I’ll pay you your fee directly.”

“You’ll pay the Akiyama scholarship trust directly,” Dean interjects. He didn’t need money. This seems to take Hiro by surprise but he nods and continues.

“I will pay your medical expenses too,” he says quietly as the dishes are set down in front of him.

Dean bites his lip, pondering why Hiro would add that when it should have been encompassed when he said he would cover his general expenses. His lips part as realization dawns on him. “We’ll be careful, I will have to send my regrets during that time.”

“Dean…”

“There are tests to make sure it’s safe.”

“I’m not making myself clear. My wife has only given me daughters,” Hiro says sadly, looking down at his natto and rice.

“You want alpha sons,” Dean responds, heartbroken. Of course this wasn’t about him. It was about spreading alpha seed and begetting more alphas.

“Well yes, but I want them with you.”

“So they can be taken away from me before they can even remember me?” He’s just looking at Hiro, disappointed. 

“If you want to teach, it would be easier on you. I could arrange visitation of course and I would completely understand if you increased your fee while nursing.”

“I’m not a broodmare, Hiro, if I’m going to have children I’m taking care of them myself.” His hands are gripping the table, knuckles turning white. He could sacrifice himself and his hypothetical children or he could refuse the offer and deny the school much needed money.

“You can’t raise alphas in an okiya, Dean.” There’s a slight sharpness to Hiro’s voice. “If you want to raise them I need to set you up with a place to live.”

“I’m not abandoning the okiya.” He’s hurt. Of course this wasn’t going to go well and the okiya and scholarship fund would be out a monthly fee that it could use.

“Fine!” Hiro makes a dismissive gesture with his hand. “I’ll hire a surrogate.”

“That’s completely unacceptable, you know they don’t treat them well.” Dean is shaking his head, licking lips that have gone dry.

“There are really good ones,” Hiro sputters. “They live in apartments and are taken care of, excellent medical care, activities. I’ll show you.”

“They’re slaves, Hiro.” He’s completely annoyed that they’re even having this conversation. Activities for surrogate omegas usually meant making knitted baby clothes and flower arrangements that the center sold for even more money.

“Are you reconsidering?”

Dean only realizes now that he had been leaning forward with each statement. He sighs and relaxes back into the seat. “No. I’m just… I don’t want anything I do to cause someone else pain.”

“No one is in pain, or will be,” Hiro insists, leaning forward only to withdraw immediately. “I respect your decision but I’m asking you to respect mine.”

Somewhere there was an omega who was going to be impregnated and then separated from his child two years later because Dean wanted to keep up this farce that he was a teacher. He looks away, hating every minute of this.

“I’ve insulted you.”

Dean nods as he looks back over at Hiro. “Little bit, yeah.” He picks up his chopsticks to poke at the fish, frowning.

“I’m sorry.” Hiro shakes his head, looking down again. “I’m guilty of everything this morning.” He gestures at the door. “First I’m hounded by the FBI about security the night of the mizuage and now I’ve hurt your feelings.”

“The FBI is investigating my mizuage?” Dean nearly drops the chopsticks, looking at Hiro incredulously. 

“Yes, I assume Adler was involved in human trafficking crimes.”

“He threatened to buy me. And Ben. Hinted that Alistair Epstein had contacts in the sex slave trade.” Dean eats a piece of fish, thinking. “That FBI agent. Can you find him again? I’m not so fragile I can’t offer some testimony to help.” 

“I just sent him to the security office.” Hiro sets his chopsticks down then wipes his mouth before pulling out his phone. He gets up, squeezing Dean’s arm before heading away to make the phone call. Immediately a security guard in a suit takes a few steps closer. Dean rolls his eyes. This must be because of his freak out last night. He eats a little more then looks over his shoulder at his teacher. Matsushita should have told him that it was being investigated or maybe he didn’t know. 

“They said he just left, took some stills from the security video before he went.”

“Call someone,” he urges. Damn it, he was not going to be passive in this. Hiro sighs but sits back down and starts dialing numbers, apparently understanding that Dean wasn’t going to back down. Dean eats to keep himself busy.

“They’re calling FBI’s local office,” Hiro whispers to keep Dean abreast of the situation. “Yes, ma’am I was wondering if I could get Agent Marad’s mobile number. I just spoke to him this morning and have new information that might be helpful.”

Dean can’t help but lean forward expectantly, trying to hear the person on the other end of the line. Hiro looks confused.

“I just had coffee with him…” 

That explained the empty mug. Dean shovels natto and rice into his mouth while he waits. The suspense was killing him.

“Well maybe he was from another office and I have the wrong…” A pause. “I see. Are you sure?” Another break. “No, I’m sorry for any confusion. I’ll call my office again and call you back.” Hiro presses end on his phone.

“I must have read the badge wrong. There is no Levi Marad at the FBI.”

Dean’s gut twists as the epiphany forms in his mind. His jaw clenches and he shakes his head. “This FBI agent? Tall? Dark hair? Blue eyes?”

“Why yes, do you know him?”

“Son of a bitch.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Marad is Hebrew for rebel. :)


	25. Chapter 25

Dean is insistent that Castiel killed Zachariah and Azazel but Matsushita refuses to listen to him. It’s infuriating, not being listened to but the person that he thought truly had faith in him. Even to his sensei he was just an omega, prone to fantasies and hysterics. 

Castiel had to be responsible but if he cared so much for Dean why not come say he’s sorry and explain himself?

He sits in the practice room and drinks water, exhausted from practice. The screens and windows are open wide to let the summer breeze in but it was still stifling hot, even in light yukata and bare feet. Dean refills the water cup and listens to the okiya.

Matsushita is in the other practice room, the drums loud. There was another thirty minutes of practice then their sensei was leaving to meet with the proprietors of the other schools to talk about opening a new one. He’d be gone for a few days, getting back just in time for the next big gig at the Tanabata festival.

If Dean was going sneak into the office and try to find his phone it had to be now. Maybe he could find Castiel’s number on it and call him to demand an explanation. The mizuage didn’t even bother him any more, he just wanted answers because this whole thing was so strange.

He gets up to put the sword away then heads out into the hall. Dean looks back and forth before heading down to the sensei’s office. There is no phone anywhere in or on Matsushita’s desk. He pulls opens all the drawers, ignoring the pictures of Castiel in the bottom of one. The drumming stops. Dean bolts out of the office and towards the dorms.

He’s looking over his shoulder so he completely misses seeing Ben and runs right into him. 

“Watch it,” he says with a forced laugh then looks at the guilty expression. Dean looks over the boy’s shoulder and sees the shoji to his room cracked. “We’re you in my room?

“No.” Ben is obviously lying but he’s defiant in it.

“Don’t bullshit a bullshitter, Ben, I was just sneaking around too.” Dean gives Ben an unimpressed look. “What the hell were you doing?”

“Looking for booze in Jeffrey’s stuff,” he says with a sigh, daring Dean to punish him when they’re all just as guilty of drinking behind Matsushita’s back. 

“It’s two on a Monday, Ben, have a little restraint.” Dean rolls his eyes and moves past him then stops and looks over his shoulder. “You didn’t find any did you?”

“He must have cleaned out when he packed up. Either that or he already passed it to Kevin.” Ben shrugs apologetically. 

“If you, uh, find some, let me know okay?”

“It’s two on a Monday, Ben,” Ben mimics in a high voice as he walks back down the hall, bobbing his head and making grand gestures with his hands. Dean has to laugh.

He flops on the futon and looks at the small case that contains all of Jeffrey’s worldly possessions, some tokens from admirers, an obi or a fan. They owned nothing, everything was owned by the okiya. Now Jeffrey could finally make money, be free. 

Jeffrey would be making money honing his craft. Dean will be making it laying on his back. Well, partially. The entire school is booked for the yukata-kai at the Tanabata festival and he’ll be at the gala afterwards. It all came down to money. If he could make enough he’d save some omega boys some heartbreak. 

He can hear Matsushita and Jeffrey talking as they went to the office, no doubt saying their goodbyes since Jeffrey would leave while Matsushita was in San Francisco, planning the new school. Dean hopes he didn’t leave any evidence of his search. After staring up at the ceiling for another minute he gets up and heads back down to the practice room since it’s the closest entrance to the interior garden. There is no point in going around to the kitchen for his zori when he’s already a sweaty mess from kendo practice. As soon as Matsushita is gone he’s showering then soaking in the sento. 

The shoji are closed on the office. Dean figures they would be, while Jeffrey and Matsushita talk one last time. He’s sure they’ll keep in touch, maybe Jeffrey would come back to teach at the new school. As good as the students here have turned out there is something missing from being taught by a beta that hasn’t had the same experiences. Omega teachers would understand better.

And if Dean has his way mizuage will ultimately be decided by the taikomochi, even if there was a higher bidder.

He sticks his toe into the koi pond but takes it back with a jump as soon as it breaches the surface. It’s so cold compared to the heat of the day but he supposes that’s because it’s always in the shade. 

“They’re cold water fish, dork,” Kevin says as he steps out of the kitchen foyer, holding the bag of food. 

“Dang I was really hoping no one saw me do that,” Dean laughs sheepishly. Kevin joins him in at the side of the pond. “Did Ben talk to you about the booze?”

“I just saw him, he didn’t say anything but I do have some whiskey. We should have going away drinks for Jeffrey as soon as sensei is gone.”

“I’m getting in the bath,” Dean replies as he reaches into the bag then sprinkles some food into the pond. “We can drink in there.”

“Good you smell, but you know Jeffrey never bathes so maybe after dinner then.” Kevin suggests and watches the koi swim over.

“Yeah, the weirdo. It kind of freaked me out at first but now it’s too relaxing for me to be bothered that I’m sitting in a tub with a bunch of other people.” He laughs. “What does Jeffrey call it? People soup?”

“Yeah.” Kevin nods.

Dean shrugs. “His loss.”

One of the shoji screens is opened behind them. Matsushita has his little roller bag and is heading out while Jeffrey slides the rest of the windows open. Kevin and Dean hurry in through the kitchen to say goodbye. They all meet up in the hall. Jeffrey stifles a laugh when he sees Dean.

“What?”

“You look like an animal,” Matsushita answers for him. “I can’t believe I’m leaving my okiya in your care.”

Dean looks down at himself. The yukata has come open almost to the obi, his feet are dirty and bare, and he can feel sweat drying on himself. “I promise I won’t turn it into a pigsty.”

“I thank you for that,” their teacher replies and starts again for the door. They all stand up on the foyer platform and bow politely as he leaves.

“We’re getting trashed tonight,” Jeffrey says as soon as they hear Matsushita’s SUV door close. 

“Yeah we are,” Dean says and turns on his toes to head to the sento. He showers then soaks for a long time, letting the worries of his life ebb out him into the water until Kevin gets in and pours them sake. They drink and talk about Hiro and Dean’s unwillingness to birth children for him. Kevin seems surprised by it, which would be insulting if everything Dean did wasn’t driven by money.

As soon as they’ve gotten all the younger boys into bed, they pile into Dean and Jeffrey’s room to kill off any remaining booze that has been hidden away. Ben says he’s going to go shower before he comes to drink. They wait a while because they want to call Andy on Skype but figure Ben needs alone time and head down to the library to call him.

He looks so happy to be included in the good-bye celebration even though he’s so far away and not able to drink. Samandriel hollers at him to show them the 3D ultrasound pictures from off screen. Andy looks embarrassed but shows them the pictures.

It’s mostly Jeffrey and Dean doing all the talking to Andy. Jeffrey grew up with him, spent every waking moment with the boy, but had never once spoken about being sad that Andy had left to get married. Dean had found it odd but then again there was so little that he knew about Jeffrey when he thinks about it. 

Kevin and Ollie excuse themselves after a few minutes to go look for snacks while they drink, promising to make Ben come hang out when they find him. After a while Dean excuses himself too, so Jeffrey can say goodbye in case the reason he knows so little about him is because he has been purposely excluded.

He rolls his eyes when he finds Kevin and Ollie eating and drinking whiskey mixed with orange juice but Ben missing. The kid can be a bit of a hermit and Dean respects that but he wants to make sure that he’s not hiding because he’s upset or something. 

Ben isn’t in his room or the bathroom. Dean strides through the halls, opening the screens to peer into rooms, being quiet in the dorms so he doesn’t wake up the sleeping children. He chews his lip because Ben pulls his disappearing act pretty frequently but usually he’s just in the library or his room. Since Dean just came from the library, he knew Ben wasn’t in there. 

He opens the door to the first practice room and looks around, a sigh escaping him when he sees the fan case open. Dean heads over and closes in then heads back out to go into the second. Empty as well. This was weird. He looks out into the garden but sees no one standing in the dark.

The light in the chashitsu is on, casting dim light into the garden. Dean frowns and heads out to the hall. The shoji leading into the room is cracked, the silhouette of someone inside cast onto it. He pushes it open the rest of the way and finds Ben in the middle of the room, looking down at an envelope in his hands. The scroll usually hanging the tokonoma is on the floor. 

“Ben?” Dean’s voice is already wavering because he knows that this cannot be good. 

“I’m sorry Dean,” Ben is apologizing before he even walks up to him. “He said something to me at the hotel, about how he thought it was enough and that he was devastated by losing.”

Dean knows who ‘he’ is without asking. He feels like he’s going to vomit, his stomach flips as his jaw clenches. He holds out his hand, Ben steps forward and places the envelope in hand, using both hands even though he never does unless he’s working or Matsushita is watching. Dean’s breathing stutters as he slits open the end and shakes out the check. 

“I could tell he was devastated, I knew something was up but if I said something…”

Dean looks at Ben and nods, understanding. If Castiel was killing the men that caused his rape and Jeffrey was a part of it then it meant certain death for him.

The air leaves his lungs like he’s been punched in the gut. Castiel Angelin was stamped neatly on the upper left hand corner, a Washington, D.C. address underneath it. In the field for the check amount was neatly written, in handwriting that seemed so typically Castiel, one hundred and fifty thousand dollars.

He turns and heads out, leaving Ben to call after him. Dean ignores him as a sob forms in his throat. He doesn’t even bother to try to stop himself from crying. Jeffrey is coming out of the library, smiling a little. The smile fade as soon as he sees Dean storming at him, the check crushed in one hand. Jeffrey throws his arms up as Dean grabs him, the check flitting to the ground.

"How could you?" Dean has Jeffrey's kimono bunched in both his fists. He knows he's ugly crying, he can feel snot and tears running under his chin. "You selfish little prick." One hand drops to cock back. Ben yells and grabs Dean's arm but being older and stronger his fist still connects with Jeffrey's jaw, though much more clumsily. 

Jeffrey takes the inept punch without flinching. "You think you were the only one that wanted Castiel’s attention? Do you know how many students Zachariah went after before you? What makes you so special? You're the one that's selfish."

"You ruined me! You destroyed everything!" Castiel would never want him after his behavior towards him at that party. And when Cas had just been there to make sure he was safe. His stomach churns worse than that night with Adler as he manages to get another punch in, this time without Ben interfering. 

"Why should you get everything?" Jeffrey struggles against Dean's grip. The kimono falls open and the sight of marred and ruined flesh across Jeffrey’s torso takes Dean by surprise. He never sees the kick to his groin coming. Dean stumbles back into the wall, still staring at Jeffrey’s scars even though the kick hurt like hell. 

“What happened to you?” Dean asks, gaping. Ben is behind him with his hands over his mouth, wide-eyed and clearly scared.

Children are starting to peer out if their dorms. Jeffrey is red faced and looks like he's about to cry himself while Dean has stopped but is still sniffing.

"Go away!" Jeffrey's hysterical scream has the children shutting their doors quickly.

“Zachariah did this to me when I ripped up his check so he wouldn’t get another student’s mizuage. Jimmy, Frankie’s friend from the music video” he says quietly and makes a futile attempt at covering himself up. The kimono is heavy and pulls without the obi positioned properly.

"I brought in hundreds of thousands of dollars for this okiya and was burned with hot oil for protecting a child but not once has Matsushita ever offered me a job.” He shakes his head and wipes tears from his eyes before they have a chance to fall. “You were here for one week! One week and it was all about Dean."

Dean can only look at him. Jeffrey’s chest on one side is so madly mottled a nipple is indiscernible from rest of his skin. As it becomes increasingly difficult to hold the kimono to him Jeffrey becomes more and more upset.

He gathers up the disheveled kimono and barks at Ben to come help him get dressed. Ben balks, eyes darting from Dean to Jeffrey. "No," he says firmly and pushes past Jeffrey to head to his room. Dean swells with pride until he thinks about it for a second longer. Frankie and Jimmy were four years older than them so that meant Jeffrey had been twelve. 

"Matsushita doesn’t know," Dean states. “You didn’t tell him and part of, maybe the whole reason you want to teach is because of what Zachariah did to you. How did he not notice? Andy?”

Jeffrey looks at him, face stoic but not correcting him. Dean takes that as a yes. They should have said something but they were both living in fear. “I told them I flipped the tempura fryer on to myself. It was half true since that was what Zachariah threw at me.”

Dean bites the inside of mouth. “How, did he have that much power over you?”

“My papers,” Jeffrey says simply with a shrug. “My parents were assembly line workers before they died.” He bites his lips and swallows. “He told them he’d take care of me.”

“I thought Matsushita had your papers.” Dean can’t stand watching him try to hold the kimono up any more. It looks pathetic, like no one helping a wounded animal or mugging victim. He moves behind him to help him put it on.

Jeffrey shakes his head, looking down at his hands, holding the kimono shut. “A lawyer had my papers, who was of course, controlled by Zachariah. He gave them to me the night of the bidding.”

Dean finishes tying the obi after the kimono is settled then steps away. “Move to Matsushita’s room until it’s time to leave,” he says quietly then stoops to pick up the check off the tatami before sidestepping around Jeffrey to go to the library. Now he has one of Castiel's aliases and an address. Dean sits in front of the computer and turns it back on. 

"You've got work to do," he whispers to himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little bird told me someone as been on omegle prompting RPs with the reverse of this verse. I guess that means I have arrived?


	26. Chapter 26

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [This](http://kalun52.tumblr.com/post/51804307101/its-weird-but-interesting-xd-p-s) was in now way shape or form drawn for me but it inspired the scene at the end of the chapter. I love it because of the yukata obviously but also because Dean looks like he is so much younger than Castiel like he is in this story.

A quick Google of Castiel’s address reveals that he lives in the Yale Steam Laundry Condominiums. Strange, since he seems to be in California a lot. If the amount of the mizuage check wasn’t indication enough, the pictures of the condos show just how much money Castiel must have. Not that that’s important, Dean quickly tells himself and looks for a contact number.

Dean scribbles the number on a piece of paper and head’s to Matsushita’s office to use the only phone in the building. He purposefully doesn’t look at the shoji to his room; not wanting to know what Jeffrey is doing at this hour. It’s dark, he can see that much. 

Before Dean uses the phone he pulls the picture of Castiel out of the bottom desk drawer and puts them back on the table and desk. He smiles at the one of the two men laughing after a kendo competition as he sets it down. When he’s done making the phone calls to find Castiel he’ll call Matsushita. Their friendship should be salvageable. 

He makes up a story about finding a lost wallet in his head as he dials. It’s well past midnight in California so it is four in the morning on the East Coast. Dean dials anyway, since he saw on the condominium’s website that the building has a concierge desk. While the phone rings he wonders idly what it’s like to live in a place like that.

A man that sounds too cheerful for it to be four in the morning answers the phone. He regrets that it is the condominium’s policy not to give out their tenants’ numbers but that he will relay a message immediately to Mr. Angelin’s answer service. Dean thanks him politely. It was odd to be called sir, no one called omegas that.

After a moment’s consideration Dean decides to call Matsushita at a more reasonable hour and heads back to the library. First he sends Sam an email, explaining everything but of course leaving out the part where he thinks Castiel killed Azazel and Zachariah. When he is done he searches for every single one of Castiel’s known aliases.

“Which one is the real you?” he asks the empty library. James Novak is such a common name it’s a dead end immediately. Emmanuel Allen has much fewer returns but none of them are the man Dean still refers to as Castiel. Levi Marad apparently doesn’t exist at all.

He saves Castiel Angelin for last, hitting the enter key with a frown, knowing this was probably the most fake of the names after Levi Marad. To his surprise he finds someone’s Facebook that had scanned an old yearbook from Pontiac Township High School. In the second row, incidentally directly under a picture of a boy named Emmanuel Allen, is a much younger Castiel Angelin, smiling in his senior picture.

“You were kind of a dork,” he says for out loud then laughs, ducking his head until he recovers. Dean only laughs again when he sees the conversation under the picture. 

Whatever happened to angel feathers? Oh, Dean was so going to tease him about that!

Since no one has heard from him since he left to go do Peace Corps stuff after graduation we guess he went native, was the reply.

So Castiel gave Dean his real name when he asked for it and no one that knew him in high school has heard from him since then. This person that scanned the yearbook page has a link to a big file of the entire yearbook scanned. Dean scrolls through it, smiling as he sees that Castiel ran track and cross country, was the secretary of the Key Club, and is inexplicably photographed with a falcon on one arm that takes up half of one page. 

Dean prints the falcon picture. The printer in the okiya’s library isn’t the best but he likes it anyway. He folds it around the check before turning off the computer and getting up to go get in bed. It’s late and he has to wrangle the kids in the morning.

Sleep doesn’t come easy. The room is too empty with only his own futon in it, to quiet with only the sound of his breathing. Dean inevitably thinks about Castiel. He had told the truth about every thing though it is a mystery why he didn’t call his friend when his check for a hundred and fifty thousand dollars didn’t win. Dean would have called even if he knew Matsushita would never reveal the dollar amount. It wasn’t done.

Everything that has happened to him, every disappointment and aggression, pales in comparison to the fact that Castiel thinks Dean is worth one hundred and fifty thousand dollars.

The alarm goes off making Dean wonder if he ever got any sleep. He feels like he’s been awake all night even if he knows he nodded off a few times. With a groan he gets up and slips into a dark green yukata, sleepily tying a messy knot in his obi as he walks down the hall towards the younger students’ rooms. He opens shojis to let the light in, telling them to rise and shine. Tiny fists wipe over tiny eyes as they grumble on their futons. 

In the next room Robbie demands to know why he needs to get up if there is no classes and their sensei is gone. Dean pulls him out of the bed by his leg to the amusement of the other students in the room. Even Robbie is laughing as he’s deposited into the little patch of sunlight on the tatami shining through the uncovered window.

Ollie, Kevin, and Ben have made breakfast and already set it out on the tables in the dining room. Dean decides he better bring Jeffrey something to eat so he loads up a tray to set outside the door. He scowls at the closed door to Matsushita’s office, knowing he needed to grow up and go make that phone call but he was afraid for Jeffrey. That’s another reason that he needed Castiel to call him back as soon as possible. Dean did not want Jeffrey killed for what he did. He didn’t deserve the freedom of Japan but he also didn’t deserve death.

“I brought breakfast,” he says after knocking then turns to leave without waiting for Jeffrey to acknowledge him. Dean doesn’t want to see him ever again.

If Jeffrey still went to Japan it was highly unlikely that Dean would ever see him again, even if he did go as well. He knew that there were multiple districts and they could purposefully avoid each other. They would know where the other was because surely if they made headlines here, they would make the news overseas.

Which makes him think about Mr. Yamamoto. If Castiel wanted to be friends would he put up with Hiro being his danna. What if Castiel wanted to be more than friends? How did he let down Mr. Yamamoto gently? Was that even allowed? If Castiel was against mizuage he was probably against sponsorship. Oh god, if Castiel did want a relationship he’d probably want to get married. 

Dean nearly chokes on the fish he’s trying to chew at the thought that he would be pregnant by fall. Ben side eyes him with a look that clearly asks what the hell is wrong with him. Dean just waves him off and shakes his head. 

No one asks where Jeffrey is during breakfast. The children chatter until they’re all finished and Dean has to get up to make the announcement about practice and chores. He almost enjoys himself, handing out the work and setting up times for the students to use the practice rooms. Maybe he will make a good teacher.

Once breakfast is over he takes the youngest students with him to one of the practice rooms to practice shamisen together. He has to really concentrate on not laughing because they’re so small in comparison to the instrument and it’s hard or them to make the chords and pluck the strings. They practice for an hour before they have an extended break before lunch. 

As if on cue all the shoji are open around the inner garden and the students filter out into the sun. Some stay on the porches, reading or chatting, other’s run off energy, zori slapping bare feet. Dean sits seiza on the tatami facing the garden and continues to play, working on much more complicated pieces than when he was helping the young students. Ben comes to sit down next to him with his iPad after while.

“Did you find him yet?” Ben pokes at the tablet but looks over at Dean who is concentrating on his playing. 

He shakes his head. “Left a message where he lives, at least I hope so.” After he’s done with the song he pauses and looks at Ben. “I need to call Matsushita.”

“Good luck with that,” Ben replies flatly. “He needs to know, he thinks Castiel rage quit their friendship after your mizuage. What are you going to do about Jeffrey?”

“Let him go to Japan so I never have to see his ass again.” Dean looks at the little boys playing with small wooden katana models and shouting. “You saw him, what would you have done? I’d have killed him and taken the punishment, lethal injection or mental institution but I can’t expect Jeffrey to do that.”

“I’d have thrown oil on his face somehow, something to disfigure him, so everyone knows when they look at him.” Ben is looking out now too, voice and expression stony. “They could have thrown me into a rubber room for that and I would’ve laughed until my dying day.”

They both snort morbidly at the thought. “All that laughing wouldn’t have done much to disprove the omegas are either needy or crazy.”

“Or both,” Ben tacks on.

“Guess I need to do this.” Dean gets up without putting down the shamisen, then goes to hang it on its hook on the wall. Ben follows him to the office, noticing first thing that the pictures have been put back up.

Of course when Dean dials he gets Matsushita’s voice mail. It is a relief honestly, as he explains that the winning check had been hidden from them and that Jeffrey was blackmailed by Zachariah. It goes kind of badly but he manages to get everything out without demonizing Jeffrey too badly.

Dean hangs up the phone with a sigh, looking at Ben who is just looking at him apathetically. “What do you think he’s going to do when he hears that,” Ben asks, sounding more curious than concerned.

“I don’t know. I don’t want to see Jeffrey any more, so I doubt that Matsushita would.” Dean thinks for a minute. “Do you think he could make life difficult for Jeffrey in Japan. I know he’s going to a school in Kyoto and that his first year is paid for.”

“You’re not upset that he caused your rape?” Ben is looking at Dean like he is stupid.

“I don’t for one second think that he knew that’s what was going to happen. I’m sure he just thought it was Zachariah ensuring he won.”

“You’re so fucking naïve,” Ben says and rolls his eyes.

“And you think everyone is out to get you.” Dean defends.

“Apparently they are!”  
It’s Dean’s turn to roll his eye, shaking his head. He looks at Ben critically but says nothing else. Jeffrey wouldn’t do that, if he knew of the rape he would have told someone.

“I’m on lunch duty,” he says in dismissal and gets up to go to the kitchen. Dean pauses at the door to the hall and looks at Ben. “Jeffrey hid it behind the scroll didn’t he? He knew that when we changed out the tokonoma in the fall we’d find it. After he was gone.”

“Yeah, I thought to look there because he refused help when I offered to change it out this last time.”

“After you went through our room.”

Ben nods but doesn’t look at Dean in the face. “You’ve always been there for me. I’m repaying the favor.”

“Thanks, Ben,” Dean says and turns to head off to the kitchen. Robbie and Jessie show up to help him make salmon skewers with miso glaze and steamed vegetables. Lunch is a quiet affair then everyone files into the large practice room to rehearse the main dance for the Tanabata festival.

Jeffrey was supposed to be here, telling them what they need to work on but he’s still locked away in Matsushita’s room, the only indication of life that the breakfast tray had been taken in. Dean tries to direct as much as he can, aided by the younger three. He remembers Matsushita’s choreography but this is scary, being completely in charge. 

Dean cannot believe that he wanted to teach now that he was kind of doing it. The phone ringing down the hall makes him jump. He excuses himself and runs down the hall to Matsushita’s office. 

“I think perhaps that maybe you should officially become my teaching partner,” is the first thing that Matsushita says to Dean after they exchange greetings. “I feel like I have let everyone of you down again.” 

The guilt is so evident in his teacher’s voice it almost makes Dean feel bad. “Won’t that make people less likely to send their sons here, if there is an omega in charge?” Dean wants it, so badly he wants it, but he won’t take it if that means that children won’t be sent here.

“Okiya in Japan are completely run by the artists. Geiko houses are run by women, taikomochi houses are run by omegas.” Matsushita pauses, Dean can hear traffic in the background. “If they want authentic I need an omega at my side.”

Dean struggles to come up with something to say. The tears are evident in his teacher’s voice and it’s making Dean understand. Matsushita was ignorant, expected entitled American men to follow a system based on honor. “I would be honored, sensei.”

“Dean, if you want to leave I completely understand. I failed to protect you.”

“Stop, we judged the wrong man together. From now on you will have a taikomochi’s input on decisions.” His voice is firm. “Have you entered an agreement with Hiro Yamamoto on my sponsorship?”

“No. I take it you want me to wait if he approaches me.”

He sighs with relief. “Please.” 

“I understand.”

“Other things will change.” His voice is nearly on the tone of a threat.

“I expected as such. Jeffrey?”

“He will get to Japan safely.” Dean looks at the picture of Castiel and his sensei on the table. “Have you tried to call Castiel?”

“I left a message, do you want his personal mobile number?” Matsushita waits while Dean gets a paper and pen then takes down the number. They say their goodbyes then Dean immediately calls Castiel’s personal number that goes immediately to voice mail. He leaves a message apologizing and asking to call him back at the okiya before hanging up.

Practice is calling but he stays seated at the desk, head in his hands, thinking. He isn’t the Jedi he’s the fucking princess! Dean thumps his head against his hand.

At the Sakura Matsuri he had pretty much friend-zoned Castiel and made it sound like he was only interested in teaching. Then in true Han Solo fashion Castiel didn’t care that Dean only wanted to be friends, even though Dean had asked him to play a large sum of money, and tried to keep up the friendship by showing up to his other engagements after the mizuage. He even gave him that knife and said he had something else for him.

Shit the kwaiken! Dean jumps up from the chair, nearly knocking it over and runs out of the office and directly into the garden. He doesn't bother finding his geta but runs right for the koi pond and starts stripping. The wood is probably damaged irreparably but he needs to find it. 

He throws the yukata and obi on the bench behind him, and then considers the juban. No one was here except him and the students. Without further thought Dean rids himself of the remainder of his clothing and plunges into the ice-cold water of the koi pond in his underwear. 

His frantic searching causes the koi to churn the water in their effort to get away from him. He had been standing by the bench when he threw it surely it was here. 

Dean becomes more and more desperate as he searches. Maybe Matsushita or one of the students saw it and fished it out. 

"Dean!"

He looks up and feels his eyes go wide and his mouth drop open. Castiel is standing at the edge of the pond, looking at him apologetically. Dean was the one that threw away his gift, flirted with a man that wanted to use him as a broodmare in front of him but Cas was the one looked apologetic. 

"I came as soon as I got my messages." He looks down then steps into the pond in his suit. "I'm so sorry." His lips press together into a thin line. "I would have paid double to keep you from him."

Dean is going to cry. He's standing in a koi pond in just boxer briefs and he's about to sob. With a deep inhale he wills himself not to. "Jeffrey hid your check, I’m sorry I was such an ass at that party. I thought you did it on purpose, not bidding I mean."

Castiel is walking closer. He nods like he already understands everything. "Why are you in the pond?" He's slipping off the suit jacket and obviously trying not to look at Dean's body. 

"I threw the knife you gave me in here. I'm so sorry. It's probably ruined. I don't deserve it."

Castiel throws his suit jacket over Dean’s shoulders then cups his jawline. "It survived this long, it should be fine. Let's find it." He starts to move off but Dean grabs his shirt.

"I mean it, I’m sorry. I want you. I’ve wanted you since I saw your pictures in the office. I did this,” he gestures at the okiya with his free hand, “on the chance I’d get to meet you." He's standing here, practically naked and unhooded, Castiel might as well see inside of him as well. “I did all of this for you.”

"Dean." Castiel looks like he's not sure how to handle that but he's almost smiling. 

Dean jerks Cas' shirt hard and crashes their lips together. He feels Cas almost go limp then there are hands in his hair and their tongues are moving together, trying to figure each other out. It’s weird, having someone else’s tongue in his mouth but from the way his lower half of his body is reacting he knows they’re doing something right. They kiss in that stupid freezing water for a minute before they hear a crash from by the kitchen window then pull back and laugh at each other, knowing they were being watched. 

"Let's find your knife," Castiel says with a wide grin. "Then we're getting in the sento."

It takes him a minute to respond because while mixed bathing isn’t uncommon he’s taken aback by the familiarity of it, like they never stopped being friends. "Please," Dean says finally and shuffles around, looking through the water. "Be careful, it's slick."

He's starting to get worried and Castiel is probably ruining that suit but after several minutes of looking he hears a triumphant noise from his friend. Dean turns around to see Cas reach through the water and then topple over, disappearing completely for a few moments before just his head and shoulders surface. 

He can't help but laugh as he makes his way through the water to Cas. The alpha is laughing, hair plastered to his forehead and generally looking like a drowned rat. Dean laughs too, stooping to help him up. Cas seems surprised but takes Dean's hand and boosts himself up. They smile at each other for a minute before closing the distance and kissing again. 

“Sento?" Cas asks with a grin. 

"We need it." Dean wades out of the water with Castiel close behind then scoops up his discarded clothing. They head into the foyer then look at each other sheepishly. They're still dripping wet and making a mess. "Just strip, you can use my yukata to get to the sento," he says with a shrug and takes off Cas' jacket to hang up. He wraps the juban around himself them holds up the kimono, using it to shield Cas body while he rids himself of the clothes. 

Castiel looks good in Dean's light cotton yukata in dark greens. He hopes it doesn’t stink from dance practice earlier. When he looks over his shoulder he sees Castiel holding the yukata shut as he follows Dean to the sento. Curious eyes peek out from every door they pass, Dean can't help but smile. 

After grabbing something for them to wear for his room, they head into the communal bathroom and scrub clean under the showers before getting into the sento. Dean dunks a folded washcloth in the steamy water to put on Cas' forehead then settles next to him, their shoulders almost touching.

"Zachariah died of a heart attack," Dean says casually and puts a warm, wet cloth on his own forehead. 

"Really?" Castiel closes his eyes and gets comfortable, shifting slightly. Dean is having a hard time not looking at his junk. He decides to close his eyes as well so there is no temptation. 

“And some kid from Sam’s school, Azazel, crashed his car into a tree at a graduation party.”

“He shouldn’t have been drinking and driving.” Castiel 

He had said party so that Azazel had been drinking and driving was kind of implied. Still though, he is just as convinced as ever and decides to get right down to it. "Are you killing the men that raped me?" Dean sounds serene, uncaring.

"Yes," Castiel answers easily, eyes still closed, completely relaxed. Dean wonders if that’s what he looks like when he’s making something look like an accident.

"Thank you," he breathes. He's not even upset. Was that normal? What was normal anymore? "How much did Jeffrey know?"

"Zachariah said he bribed him to rip up my check, there is nothing to indicate he knew of the plan. This was likely because you humiliated Zachariah."

"I made some jokes. That's kind of what I'm hired to do." Dean is looking at Castiel with absolute affection.

“You embarrassed him in front of a very powerful man, causing him to be passed over for promotion.”

The fans, the incident that he thought nothing of but made him popular and caused him to incur Zachariah’s wrath.

"Jeffrey had been attacked by him, he scalded him with oil. He thinks he's unmateable now." Dean takes the washcloth off his head and dunks it in the water then puts it on his eyes. “Please leave him alone.”

“I wouldn’t touch a scared and abused omega,” Castiel says. “I’ll bring him to the airport and make sure he’s on the plane safely.

“Do I want to know what happened to the original escort?” Dean lifts one corner of the washcloth and looks over at Castiel

“Enjoying an unexpected day off with his family.” Castiel’s eyes are still closed so Dean steals a quick glance below the water. Holy shit.

He grunts then clears his throat, putting the washcloth back. “I um, yeah, thanks.”

“Were you checking me out?”

Dean pulls the washcloth off his eyes and punches the water. “Seriously?” He slants his body away from Castiel and looks at him critically. There’s a small smile starting to form but it obvious Castiel is trying to keep a straight face. “Seriously who are you? How do you get in everywhere and have all those fake names? And why take them from your classmates?”

That has Castiel’s eyes open. He looks over at Dean and sits up more, taking the washcloth off his forehead. “Emmanuel, Levi, and Jimmy all died when a train struck Jimmy’s car the summer after graduation. They were good friends of mine.”

“But you weren’t in the car because you went native with the Peace Corps?” Dean isn’t satisfied with that answer at all. He waits for more, looking at Castiel pointedly. The alpha responds only with a slight tilt of his head.

“Something like that, doing your research?”

“I wanted to find you. Even if you hated me and never wanted to see me again I had to apologize and make it right.” He looks down. “I’m sorry, about calling you a creepy stalker but you wanted me to see you. You’re like James Bond or something, if you didn’t want me to you wouldn’t have let me.”

“Or something.”

Dean narrows his eyes at Castiel. “No really, what are you?”

Of course Castiel remains impassive. “I take it from your advances in the koi pond your agreement is off with Hiro Yamamoto.”

That’s not answering the question. Dean scowls but nods. “If you want to court me or sponsor me then yes, otherwise I just doing it for the money.” He looks away again. “He’s nice, but he’s not you.”

Castiel regards Dean strangely. “Why do you need money?” 

He isn’t sure how the conversation turned to him but Dean answers anyway. “I want to make it cheaper for kids to come here and build more dorms. Hiro was going to pay the scholarship fund I set up, not me.” Dean isn’t sure why Castiel is looking at him like he’s special. His eyebrows furrow in response.

“Mr. Yamamoto has no alpha sons.”

“Yeah, I never agreed to that. Booty calls, yeah, but I’m not a brood mare.” Dean looks at Castiel, lower lip bitten in his teeth. 

“I’m interested in you Dean. I’ve already cleared you with work.” He smiles gently at the perplexed omega in front of him. “Your father was a snag but I managed to convince them your loyalty now lies with the okiya.”

“Cleared me with work?” 

“Dean, you already know I will be gone for long periods of time and I won’t be able to communicate. I work for the National Security Agency but if you told me to quit I would in a minute. I’ve ever met anyone like you, of any status. You’re interesting and gorgeous. I’d like very much to court you but I won’t pay you to be my prostitute.”

So Castiel was an honest to god spy that probably killed people on a regular basis. No wonder he was so casual about seeking revenge on Dean’s attackers. Dean closes his eyes and swallows. He would be denying the fund money that boys needed.

“You need to know one more thing before you agree.” Dean’s eyes pop open. Castiel looks devastated. “I’ve lost track of Alistair.

A little smile plays on his lips. “Then he’s scared and hiding and not a threat to anyone.”

Castiel returns the smile. “May I court you?”

“Yes,” he replies with a breathy laugh as he looks up into the alpha’s face. “I would be insulted if you didn’t.”

They both laugh and smile, Dean wants to kiss him but he doesn’t think that’s appropriate in the bath. Castiel must think the same thing because looks at his fingers and then at Dean. “I’m turning into a prune, time to get out.”

Dean gets an eyeful of Castiel’s genitals when the alpha gets out of the bath, which with the way he’s grinning might have been on purpose. He recovers enough to get out more discretely, accepting the towel from Castiel and wrapping it around his waist.

“Sorry it’s the only thing I got,” he says as he shrugs into the white juban. Castiel shakes his head at the apology.

“I’ve worn them in Japan,” he responds and shrugs on the dark blue yukata, forgoing the undergarment. That’s right, men didn’t wear them. Dean tries not to stare at Castiel as he gets on his own yukata.

“Can you stay here until you tomorrow when you bring Jeffrey to the airport?” Dean turns to let Castiel tie his obi and then does the same for him. “You can sleep in my room and I’ll go sleep with the boys.”

Castiel hesitates then nods as he turns around. “I would be agreeable to that.”

Dean beams his million-dollar smile and brings the hood up on his robe. “Good. I want to hear some war stories.”


	27. Chapter 27

Castiel is amazingly easy to talk to. They sit in the office, looking out at the garden and talk for hours. It seems that his hatred of talking about himself is only because he has to hide so much in casual conversation. He expresses his apologies that his presence means the children have to wear their hoods during their long break between dance practice and dinner but Dean assures him that they don't mind the distraction. 

Castiel does supply quite the distraction. The boys stare at him in Dean's hooded yukata, even if the hood isn’t up, but try not to make it too obvious. Ben brings them their dinner as they haven't moved from the office since their bath. The California sun dips below the horizon as they finish eating, the cicadas starting up their song. 

"We could be in Japan right now," Castiel says with a grin. He looks reminiscent. 

Dean snorts. "Didn't think America spied on Japan." Castiel’s job is still sinking in.

"They don't but North Korea spies on everyone and we like to help each other out."

"When will you leave again?" Dean looks at his politely folded hands in his lap. 

Castiel uses a finger to tip Dean's head up by his chin. "I'm not sure. Do you not mind my work?"

"Like I'm expecting you to quit. I'm a used omega. What you do is important."

Castiel shakes his head as he edges closer to Dean. "I saw many boys today that look up to you and need your guidance. We're both important, just differently."

Deans not buying it but he's also not trying to argue. "What would you do if you didn't..." He gestures vaguely as Castiel wraps his arm around his waist. As much as he wants to 

"Teach."

Dean cocks his head away to look at his friend, surprised. 

"I don't have the necessary qualifications but think I'd make a good kendo coach."

"You should teach here! It would be great. Give them confidence."

Castiel seems unsure but he doesn't say. 

"Look, don't placate me because you think I'm a fragile omega. I think it's a great idea but if you have some issue with giving a bunch of second class citizens weapons just say it.” Dean shakes his head. “It doesn’t matter anyway. As much as I want an uprising I'm not naive enough to think I'm going to lead it."

In response Castiel leans in and kisses Dean. His lips are closed and it’s just a gentle press of their mouths together but it's a kiss and takes Dean by surprise. When he pulls away he's smiling that little approving smile and Dean is too dumbfounded to say anything. "On the contrary I couldn't imagine anyone but you leading an omegas' rights revolution."

His mouth opens to say something but nothing comes out. Castiel, an alpha, not only was supportive of an idea of but seemed to hold Dean's determination in high regard. How else would you explain the kiss?

"You kiss me every time I bring up fair treatment and I’ll become some sort of liberal extremist who ends up in jail for terrorism."

Castiel laughs and kisses him again. "I think I could provide a plausible alibi for any illicit activities you could do." When he leans back in the next time Dean is ready and catches him by the lapel of the yukata to hold him into the kiss. His lips part so he can encourage Castiel to slip his tongue in, which he complies with immediately. 

They've got more of a feel for each other now so it's not nearly as awkward. Sure their noses bump together awkwardly until they slot their mouths together differently but Castiel’s tongue feels velvety and warm against his own. Dean isn’t sure what to do and lets Castiel take the lead mostly. Except, of course, when he sucks on his tongue a little or drops the fabric in his hand to touch the alpha’s hair gently.

It’s soft. Not that he never thought it would be anything but. Dean doesn’t ever want to stop kissing him. Occasionally the need to breathe wins out so he pulls back a few centimeters only to still be able to taste Castiel from his breath.

They're sitting seiza with their thighs pressed together, turned towards one another. It's not the best position for a long make out session but neither seem interested in moving. Castiel's hand is on Dean's thigh and if he went any further to the side he could slide his hand into the yukata. He doesn't of course, making careful sure that as their tongues move together he stays as modest as possible. 

Dean is done with modest and from the humid feeling between his legs so is his body. As soon as the scent reaches Castiel's nose though, he's withdrawing, breathing deeply and slowly through his mouth. Dean wonders if it's one of those spy tricks to keep himself calm. 

"I should go," Castiel says politely. 

"No, you promised to stay," Dean protests firmly. He looks at Castiel, brows furrowed. "Please, Cas.”

“Dean...”

“What? You smell me getting aroused and you have to go? That’s bullshit, you’re not them. You’re stronger than them, you treat me like a person. I want you to stay, even if we do actually sleep apart or if we do sleep together and it’s literally sleeping. I pushed you away, I fucked up by not just asking you.” Dean has edged back into Castiel’s space, practically crowding him. “I should have just asked, I’m sorry.”

Castiel is looking at Dean like he’s not really sure what’s going on. “Your classmates are going to think I’m taking advantage of you.”

Dean shakes his head, almost laughing. “No, they’re going to pester me until I tell them something.”

“And what are you going to tell them?” Castiel’s expression goes curious.

“That we kissed and talked, I’m going to tell them the truth Castiel, lying to kids just makes them suspicious of you. I need them to believe me because this isn’t a life that can be sugarcoated. They need to head into this with all the knowledge I can give them.”

Castiel actually smiles a little. “Including that their teacher kisses mysterious men in koi ponds.”

Dean pretends to sneer. “Calling yourself mysterious, that’s self-centered.” His face cracks into a grin and laughter. Soon after, Castiel is laughing as well.

“I’m just saying that I’m going to tell them the truth because they’re taught that they’re supposed to make alphas happy but they’ve got to figure out how to make themselves happy and I might be able to help.”

Castiel is looking at Dean like he admires him. It feels foreign and strange. He’s looked at often like he’s desired, but never admired. “You should be teaching, I can’t imagine someone better for the job.”

Dean nods sadly, wondering if that means that the courtship is over before it even began. He doesn’t want to ask though, because he doesn’t want to end this just yet. His chin is tilted up again by Castiel’s finger.

“You’re going to be great,” he says before leaning in and kissing Dean again.

It starts another round of kissing that Dean doesn’t want to end, even when he starts to yawn and even Castiel is drooping. Dean pulls away, his hood long having slipped off his head.

“Come on, lets get in bed, I promise I won’t take advantage of you,” he says as he stands up and holds out his hand to help Castiel up. It’s the second time Dean has done it today, but the surprised expression is still what he gets in return.

“I thank you for that,” Castiel responds as he takes Dean’s hand and uses the leverage to get up to standing. They stand there for a minute just looking at each other, hands grasped together. “I’m going to go get my bag.”

“You had clothes the whole time?” Dean looks at him apologetically. “I’m so sorry!”

“For what?” Castiel looks at Dean, confused.

“Making you wear omega’s clothes.” Dean gestures at the hooded yukata Castiel is wearing. The hood is laying across his shoulders but it’s still obviously intended for an omega.

“I told you I wore them before.”

“But not with hoods!” Dean rolls his eyes and heads to the office door. “Go get your bag and I’ll pull out another futon.”

He heads into his room and pulls out the futon that had once belonged to Andy, situating it so it’s right next to his own. If Castiel didn’t like the nearness he could shove it in the corner where Jeffrey had his. 

Castiel does no such thing. When he comes back in he drops a small duffle on the dresser and throws a suit bag over it. He must have stopped at the bathroom to slip on boxers underneath his borrowed yukata because he strips out of the clothing and folds it up with the obi. Dean smiles up at him from his futon, now just wearing the undergarment and unhooded, his yukata folded up and put away.

Without the water inhibiting his view now he can see Castiel’s body in full view. He is trim, well muscled but not bulky. Dean looks away as Castiel lowers himself into the futon next to him.

“Should I get the light?” Castiel asks, sounding casual. Dean isn’t sure how he can sound so relaxed when his own heart is going a mile a minute because holy shit what if Castiel wants to have sex.

“Yeah,” he croaks out and gets down in the bedroll, pulling up the blankets to his chin. Castiel turns out the light by rolling onto his hip and reaching over to hit the switch.

“Good night, Dean,” Castiel says as the dark falls over them.

“Good night, Castiel,” he responds. When his eyes adjust to the dark he can see that Castiel has rolled onto his side and is facing him. Dean chews his lip then rolls over as well. For a few minutes they just blink and smile sleepily at each other, until Castiel lets his hand snake out from under the blanket and rest where their futons meet. With only a moment’s hesitation Dean reaches out and joins their hands together.

“This is good.” Castiel yawns and closes his eyes, understanding dawns on Dean instantly. This is good for now. Nothing more. It’s intimate without being overly sexual. Maybe he’s a little disappointed but at the same time Dean is relieved. 

They wake up to a beeping noise the same way they fell asleep, fingers laced together, bodies forming the two halves of a circle, knees bent slightly. Castiel apologizes as he reluctantly undoes their hands and pushes up to pulls his phone out of the side pocket of his duffel. Dean gets up as well, yawning and running a hand through his short-cropped hair.

“Just my alarm, I need to get Jeffrey to the airport,” Castiel explains as he turns to Dean. “Should I get ready here?”

Dean nods as he moves to sit seiza. “When will you be back? Can you come to the Tanabata Festival?”

Castiel grins over his shoulder at Dean then turns back to his suit bag. “I will come to the festival.” He slides on a pair of black suit trousers then pulls on a white button down. 

“I’m being courted by one of the men in black,” Dean says with false mournfulness. He walks on his knees to the dresser and pulls out a deep blue yukata with waves along the bottom. 

“You know I don’t understand that reference,” Castiel states dryly as he buttons up his shirt. 

Dean stands and pulls on the yukata, tying the obi around his waist. “But the men in black are a shadow organization that existed way before anyone referenced them in pop culture. You should be all over that.” He tugs the obi into place and looks at Castiel with an exasperated expression. “You are that. That is literally you.”

Castiel’s lips quirk before he bursts into laughter. “Sorry. That was a very adorable explanation.”

Dean scowls as he tugs the hood on. He wasn’t supposed to be cute, he was too big to be cute. Though it seemed he bucked that trend with how many alphas wanted his attention. “Go get Jeffrey before the other boys wake up. I want him out of here.”

“I think you should go first,” Castiel says cautiously as he knots a tie around his neck. It’s blue, brings out his eyes and somewhat matches what Dean is wearing.

“I really don’t want to see him,” Dean retorts flatly.

“If I go in there alone he’s going to think the worse.” When Dean doesn’t seem to catch on Castiel makes a gun with his fingers and points it at his own head then to further the sentiment, pulls out his shoulder holster and slips it on.

“Oh.” Dean nods once slowly, then starts to smile. “Good. I wasn’t conscious so I didn’t know that I should have been scared. He deserves it.” Dean pauses and nods again. “He doesn’t deserve to die but he deserves to be scared, but I’m going to see him.”

He pulls on his tabi and buttons them up the back as Castiel finishes dressing, adding the usual tan trench coat on top. It must be stifling in the California heat but Dean supposes there is a reason for it. 

“Follow me,” he says and turns to head out of his room, leaving the futons for now. Maybe tonight he’ll sleep in the one Castiel slept in, see if he can smell him on the blankets. Before he can get the door though, Castiel catches his wrist and stops him.

“Please talk to Mr. Yamamoto before the festival, it’s not fair to let him believe that he’s your sponsor.” With that Castiel leans in and kisses Dean on the lips. Dean catches him behind the head with one hand, fingers threading into the dark hair. Their lips part together and their tongues meet to massage against one another for a minute before Castiel pulls away, straightening Dean’s hood as he does. “It’s not fair to me either.”

Dean nods. “Of course, Castiel,” he agrees and finally gets the door.

He strides over to the Matsushita’s office and gives himself a second to wipe the sappy smile off his face from kissing Castiel. The door is opened with him in front of it, not off to the side as normally done, so when Jeffrey looks up he sees Dean standing there, with Castiel looming behind him.

As soon as Jeffrey makes out Castiel’s face his mouth drops open and he starts shaking his head. “Please, don’t Dean,” he begs, ”you know what he’ll do to me. Please.”

Dean just looks down his nose at Jeffrey, his expression no longer an act. Now he’s angry, but not so much to change his mind about Castiel harming Jeffrey. Castiel just continues to stand behind Dean, garment bag and duffle in one hand, dress shoes hooked onto the fingers of his other.

“I didn’t know, you know I didn’t,” Jeffrey begs then drops to a kneeling bow, head pressed all the way to the floor. When he gets up he has tears streaked down his face. 

“Castiel is going to bring you to the airport,” Dean states emotionlessly. 

“Really?” Jeffrey looks from Castiel to Dean.

“Yes,” Dean responds, nodding.

“Thank you.” Jeffrey’s head is back on the tatami and he’s crying more noisily. “Thank you so much. I owe you everything.”

“Alistair is still at large, good luck.” With that Dean turns and heads out of the room, touching Castiel on the bicep as he goes. He walks down to the kitchen with his head held high and begins to fill the rice cookers and the water kettles. When Jeffrey walks past his head is down, his hood is up and he’s carrying his small bag to his chest.

In all honesty, Jeffrey did what Dean was doing. He protected someone and the okiya and was permanently disfigured for his efforts. When the door is closed Dean slides off his hood and presses his folded hands to his lips. He prays that Jeffrey reaches Japan safely and that this torment that hung over him at this okiya would be gone once he was there.


	28. Chapter 28

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Earning my mature rating with this chapter...

The few days between Castiel’s departure and the Tanabata festival give Dean plenty of time to think about what he wants to happen the next time he sees his suitor. The name itself is so strange. Normal people had boyfriends or girlfriends, he had a suitor. 

There was little fallout with Hiro Yamamoto. In fact Matsushita had handled it entirely, telling Dean that if he wanted to apologize in person that he could do it at the Tanabata festival. This was going to be the most awkward event of Dean’s short life but doing it meant he got to see Castiel and he thinks he would endure so much more embarrassment just to do so.

Dean stands in the middle of the backstage area before the first performance, trying to see who’s out in front of the stage. Every student is in an identical yukata, a simple blue and white shibori pattern with stylized Japanese plovers mixed in and waves on the bottom. Their obis are longer than yukatas usually are, so the elaborate knots can be tied into them. 

There were so many more people than at the solstice. Dean can see that nearly every all the women are wearing yukata and a fair share of the males as well, even the non-Japanese. Every piece that they perform will be done as a school and accompanied by the koto group. The stage is more elaborate this time, set up with scaffolding to hang the elaborate streamers on the corners. 

Dean listens as someone gives a speech about the festival, explaining it to everyone that isn’t Japanese or hasn’t been here before. This is a popular event because not only are the taikomochi here but in the evening there are sumo meets in the arena on the grounds. It’s one of the rare meets in America and not only do the displaced Japanese want to go, but also Americans who will never get overseas to see one.

The students are just as excited, hovering around Dean and trying to see past the stage as well. He grins when he sees Castiel, trying not to be disappointed that he’s wearing a suit and not the traditional yukata. Kevin points out Sam and Jess and Robbie’s parents as well. They look until Matsushita gets them to take their places for the first performance.

Their performances today will outline the story of Kintaro, the boy with the superhuman strength whose mother was a witch and his father was a clap of thunder. It’s a story that has many variations this one of course will have a little dig written in by the boys when they get to the end later in the day. Kintaro is revealed to be an omega when he shows up to the celebration of him taming the dragons pregnant.

Dean finds Castiel in between the performances, eating yakitori casually by himself. They just smile at each other for a moment before Castiel opens his mouth. 

“When are you going to play Kintaro?” He holds out a skewer for Dean to take.

“Last, to reveal the twist that I’m sure your big brain has already figured out.” Dean takes the piece and bites off a bit. He hums and nods his thanks as he chews.

“Kintaro is an omega.”

“Can’t put anything past you.” Dean puts the empty skewer back in Castiel’s tray and steps a little closer. “I now know what I would look like pregnant. You know, from rehearsals.”

“I can’t wait.” Castiel’s eyes are twinkling. Dean looks off put but doesn’t let it get to him that much.

“Everything good with Jeffrey?” Dean almost doesn’t want to ask.

“He is safe in Japan,” Castiel responds with a single nod. He throws away the paper basket into a trashcan then wipes his hands on a napkin. “I wouldn’t lie to you.”

“Good,” Dean says solemnly. He moves a step forward, looking at Castiel from under his hood. The alpha looks so relaxed, unlike he’s never seen him before. Dean realizes that he’s just staring at him all doe eyed when Castiel tenses, looking past Dean. He spins and finds Mr. Yamamoto behind him.

“I’m sorry to hear about your decision,” Mr. Yamamoto says sadly. “I don’t know what made you change your mind but I wish you had been more forthcoming with what you were feeling earlier on.”

“I didn’t mean to string you along, I just thought I had no other choice. You’re a great person, I would have been honored.” He feels guilty for what has happened but he never wanted to be a broodmare.

“Dean.” Castiel’s voice sounds behind him. Dean doesn’t turn around, just looks down at this feet, sock covered toes just barely peeking out from the yukata. 

“Him?” Mr. Yamamoto sounds incredulous. “The stalker?”

Dean almost laughs out loud. His eyes track upward. “He was looking out for me. I’m sorry but he’s,” Dean pauses, unsure exactly what he is feeling right now, “he’s always been first.”

Castiel steps forward, putting himself between Dean and Hiro. Dean scrunches up his face because he really doesn’t need Castiel protecting him. He can handle a conversation on his own. 

“Mr. Yamamoto, I assure you that Dean when agreed to your sponsorship, it was because he believed that I was not coming back. I had intended to ask for courtship before his mizuage.”

“Is this because you lost the auction?” Hiro looks almost amused, like he still thinks he’s going to win this. “You threaten people into hiding, pretend to be someone you’re not, just to get to some omega?”

Dean looks across the park, into the distance. Some omega, random, replaceable. He can’t stand it any more and takes a few steps forward.

“Hiro it’s not like that, he’s important. He’s not a stalker and he’s not the help. I…”

“Can’t talk about it,” Castiel finishes behind him.

Oh yeah, that. “I’m sorry.” Dean bows low. When he rises he tucks his arm into Castiel’s and gives a sad smile to Hiro. “I hope I haven’t ruined your time.”

With that, Castiel turns and escorts Dean back towards the stage and the booths. “He thinks you got to Alistair. So he knows that something was up at my mizuage.”

“You catch on quick.”

“I’m not stupid.”

“I wouldn’t be interested in you if you were.”

A self-satisfied smile settles on Dean’s face as they join the group. Brady is dancing with Kevin, Jess and Sam are talking to Mr. and Mrs. Singer. For the first time in his life Dean feels content. It’s a completely messed up system but he’s got a little family out of it. He turns towards Castiel and leans in so he can whisper. “What’s your room number?”

Castiel looks confused. “Why? Are you okay?”

Dean laughs at the innocence. “Yeah, I’m fine. For later. What is it?”

“Ten oh nine.” Castiel tilts his head. 

“I want to see you, like when we were at the okiya and it was just us. I’ll be discreet.”

“Dean…”

“Shut up and smile Castiel, you’re about to meet my brother.”

Sam and Jess are headed over, looking at Dean curiously but happily. He just smiles back and makes the introductions. If Castiel ever approached Sam then they are both brilliant actors. They shake hands, grinning at each other. Dean guides them to one of the tables where they sit and make polite conversation, Castiel asking Sam and Jess about their intentions for college.

It’s a gorgeous day. There’s a gentle breeze that makes Dean’s hood flutter around his face. He smiles serenely as he presses his hand to his head to keep the hood on. Jess is stealing glances at him, probably crying to see what Dean looks like without most of his face hidden. He shoots a smile her way and shrugs then gets up to excuse himself to head off to the next part of the performance.

This time when he takes the stage he can see that Castiel and his brother are sitting together. It’s strange, knowing that there is probably a conversation going on right now about his papers and future. He knows that both Sam and Castiel will do whatever he wants but it hurts to know he has to wait for an alpha’s approval.

When the performance is over he heads back to Castiel. There is a few more hours left of the street festival before they head over to the auditorium for the sumo. Dean has to admit he’s excited too, having never seen it. They walk along the booths hooked together by the elbow. 

Dean stops them at a bamboo tree and picks up a scrap of paper and a pencil from a basket on the planter. “Want to make a wish?”

“I suppose I have something I could wish for.” Castiel takes one and turns his back on Dean, using the planter wall of another bamboo plant to scribble out his wish. Dean sticks his tongue between his teeth and carefully scrawls out his wish in kanji. He gets a loop of string from the basket and ties it up as with the other, hoping Castiel doesn’t see it as he presses his hands together in a quick prayer.

Ever the gentlemen, Castiel doesn’t even try to look. He ties up his wish with his back still to Dean. It takes everything in his power not to squint up at it while Castiel offers his prayer. They head off again, stopping to get some cold soba noodles to eat at a picnic table. Their conversation goes from their admittedly half ass practicing of Shinto, mostly as a comfort, to kendo to Castiel’s schedule.

Sam and Jess join them after a while. Once again it feels like family. He’s not even worried about the other students. They are are playing games or explaining the wishes to other children. He can see them milling around, watching him with Castiel. As promised he had been forthcoming with them when they asked about Castiel. If he was going to have any semblance of authority when it came to those children they were going to be in control of their fates as much as possible.

Castiel has a box seat down by the ring for the sumo meet. Of course he invites Matsushita as well as Sam and Jess. Dean tries not to pout because he’d have loved to use this as alone time with Castiel but he concentrates on using this time to actually watch the sumo, hand tucked into Castiel’s own on his lap. They’re courting, they should be alone together, not interrupted every five seconds.

Still he intends to see Castiel later alone. What he really wants is for them to be intimate. Alphas sponsoring taikomochi get to have sexual relationships so why shouldn’t people that are courting. Society’s hypocrisy knows no bounds. Dean worries for a minute that Castiel won’t want them to go that route but then he remembers that Castiel hates mizuage. If Dean wants to have sex and is clear that he really wants it, not that he’s trying to please Castiel he will probably go along with it.

Around eleven the sumo ends and people file out to head out for drinks. Now as the eldest taikomochi Dean is expected to stay out and entertain the alphas that want to drink while their wives and omegas head home. Ben, Kevin, Ollie will be out with him for a while but they’ll fade fast. This is Dean’s gig for a while. 

“I’ll see you later,” Castiel says as he gets up, helping Dean to his feet.

“What, no please.” Dean shakes his head, clearly upset, his hand clutches at Castiel’s suit sleeve. “Stay, Cas.”

“Dean, I would only be a distraction, you go to work. I told you my room number.”

Oh. _Oh._ Dean smiles and nods. “Okay, gonna go bring home the bacon.”

“Good. I love bacon.” Castiel leans in and kisses Dean on the cheek, he responds by turning his neck towards him. His suitor smiles as he pulls away and tugs on the trench coat. One day Dean’s going to go over it, he bets Castiel has James Bond type technology in it.

He turns on the charm because it’s a little thing but it feels huge, like he was really working while Cas went home, like normal people when one person has the night shift. This is work, nothing more, he is going to go home after and one day maybe Castiel will be there at their shared home when he gets home from teaching at the okiya. 

It is that thought that keeps him going through the night. Thankfully Mr. Yamamoto isn’t there and it only causes Dean minimal guilt. He looks at Matsushita a long time when the party is coming to a close. With a smile his sensei waves him off. Nothing gets past him. Or maybe Castiel told him he expected Dean that night. He heads off by himself, hand clutched over the kwaiken tucked into his obi.

Dean doesn't hesitate once he reaches Castiel’s, he knocks on the door and straightens, smoothing his hands over his yukata and trying to look confident. Castiel opens the door looking sleepy and a little confused. His tie is off, the trench and suit jacket are carefully laid over a chair. "This isn't done. You're not escorted. Get in," he says and opens up the door. Dean ducks in quickly. 

"We'll be fine," he urges and looks at him for a moment before starting again. "Adler may have gotten my mizuage but that was not my virginity, not consensual anyway. That was business transaction made under duress, I did that so nothing would happen to the okiya." Dean swallows nervously but keeps his chin up. "Remember when we talked about this when we first met?" He smiles and laughs a little. "I want you to have it, I want you to have my V-card."

Castiel looks at him sympathetically. "Dean…" 

His heart sinks. "If you don't want it because you don't think it's real."

“You don’t have to give away your virginity," Castiel cuts him off and moves to stand in front of him. “I disagree with the use of it as a commodity, you have value yes, but not as something that exists for the pleasure of men."

He reaches up for the hood and hesitates but Dean nods so he pushes it off his head and smoothes it out over his shoulders.

"I want to teach, I know that for sure now. But I want you too and I don't think I should have to choose. Everyone else gets to be married and have kids and work at the same time? Why not me? Because I'm an omega? It's not fair. So until I figure out what I'm willing to give up can I at least have this?"

"I would never expect you to choose," is Cas' response. Dean isn't sure if what that means. Now he feels silly. How do you go from serious conversation about having sex to actually having sex. He decides to quit trying to figure it out and just kiss Cas. 

Cas grunts then smiles when Dean grabs a fist full of his shirt and kisses him, closed mouthed but firm. "I've been waiting to do that since you left for the airport," he says with a laugh then kisses Cas again, softer, lips parted.

Their tongues slip together, making Dean sigh and relax. His entire body flushes making the kimono feel too tight. He pulls away from the kiss, only noticing then that Cas one hand on his shoulder and the other at his waist, fingers dipping into the obi. "Help me get this off."

"You sure you want to do this?" Castiel looks like he’s battling it himself.

Dean gives Cas a look and turns so he can untie the obi. "Yes, I need to." He stops and thinks. "I'm not using you. I..."

He wants them to have sex. It seems so unromantic but it’s really what he wants. This is control of his life. He had absolutely no control over the first time, so this time it was for him. When Dean realizes that he has no concern for what Castiel thinks about them having sex for the sake of having sex he feels guilty. He has reduced Castiel to the same sexual object the alphas that started the tradition of mizuage had done with omegas.

But it had to be Castiel. Why? Shit. Because he loves him. He loves him and that's why Castiel gets his virginity. The obi is barely untied but he spins and looks at Cas, grabbing his face with both hands. "I love you, romantically, best friend, not sure, but it is love. I want my memory of sex to be with the only person I love." 

Quickly he kisses Castiel and spins around. "I'm still fell terrible about what happened," Castiel says sadly. 

"I should have insisted Matsushita call you more, bothered him until he did, he said you have never bid on one and it was rude to call and see." The obi slips free finally when he turns Cas is already folding it carefully, putting it on the desk by his bag. Dean holds the yukata closed as he watches Castiel then slips the top layer off and folds it up. Holding his clothing shut for modesty seems silly when they're about to have sex but he does it anyway.

Castiel starts on his own shirt, nimble fingers working the buttons free. This is so methodical, it isn’t what Dean wanted. He bats Castiel’s hand away and steps up, juban falling open as he undoes the buttons and leans into his suitor’s space to kiss him gently and hesitantly.

It starts as little pecks and sucking nips to each other’s lips. A quick press of Castiel’s tongue on his lips and Dean is opening eagerly, pressing their tongues together. He starts when Castiel’s hand slides under the juban, touching his waist above the waistband of his grey boxer-briefs. It’s a reminder how little he knows about this, what’s expected of him. Andy told him some, Matsushita outlined some things in clinical terms, John used words like disgusting and needy. Somewhere in the deluge of non-information and his own experimentation Dean is trying eek out exactly what should be happening here.

Castiel isn’t making a move other than the hand on Dean’s side so he decides to make it. In movies they always strip each other. His hands fumble over Castiel’s belt buckle. Fuck, has it really been that long since he’s undone a belt. Yeah it has. He gets it undone and the fly unzipped, there are two buttons on Castiel’s suit trousers, the normal one on the fly and one hidden. What the hell? Okay those are undone, now what?

His thumb brushes Castiel’s erection as he starts to withdraw his hand. The alpha breathes a sigh into his mouth and Dean has to remind himself that Castiel’s cock isn’t practically vestigial and he’d probably like some attention to it. Andy hadn’t gone over this and now he was standing there cupping a penis and having no idea what to do with it.

Well, fuck. He must hesitate too long because Castiel pulls away from the kiss, looking practically sympathetic. “Bed?”

Oh, right, bed. His eyes flicker down and his mouth goes open because there is a pretty sizeable erection tucked into Castiel’s bright orange briefs that Dean just signed up to have put in him. Also his hand is still on it.

“You made fun of the suits,” Castiel says with a laugh and shucks his suit pants off, taking his socks with them. “I came here suddenly so I had to buy some things in order to stay and went with something more fun.”

Dean just gapes. Now Castiel looks really embarrassed and Dean is positively mortified because he was staring and Castiel thought he was looking at the underwear and not the frankly massive penis it was containing. Dean covers his face with both hands and shakes his head.

“No, I mean, I’ve just never,” he waves his hand at the entirety of Castiel, the other still hiding his face.

“Oh!” Castiel seems to settle, understanding now.

“And I don’t hate the suits.”

“We’re required to be nondescript. Oh, and I watched the movie. I wasn’t expecting aliens.”

It’s such an odd thing to say when they’re about to have sex that Dean starts laughing and shakes his head again. The remaining hand on his face is peeled away, Castiel ducking to make Dean look at him.

“Hey, it’s okay. I get it.” Castiel is smiling and rubbing his thumb over Dean’s hand. He looks kind. 

Dean smiles back and licks his own lips, teeth worrying his bottom lip for a split second. Without any more hesitation he leans forward and presses their lips together. 

“Come on,” Castiel says quietly and tugs on Dean’s hand.

Dean follows the few steps to the bed, letting Castiel sit down first. He inhales as the juban is pushed off his shoulders, pooling around his feet. His breath becomes haggard and stuttering when Castiel presses his lips to the underside of his navel in a firm kiss. As if under their own control, Dean’s hands rise to push through Castiel’s hair, his eyes closing lazily.

Castiel kisses his stomach a few more times, pausing when he gets to the waistband of Dean’s underwear. He looks up, blue eyes questioning Dean on what he wants him to do. Dean isn’t even sure but he nods, so Cas will continue to take the lead. He finds himself being tugged bodily to straddle Cas’ thighs, their chests flush to one another. 

There's a jagged scar on Cas' shoulder. Dean kisses it then looks at Castiel in the eyes. “I’m nervous, I wasn’t nervous with…”

“I think that means you care about my opinion of you.” Castiel’s fingers run up and down his spine, comforting him. “You didn’t care about him.”

Dean is eternally grateful Castiel had the presence of mind not to speak his name. He kisses Castiel, this time taking a little more control but still letting him do most of the leading. Castiel’s fingers are pressing now, feeling more needy and the bump in his underwear is now pressing against Dean. When he sneaks a peak downward Dean sees that Castiel is actively rolling his hips and rutting them together. He sucks in a breath and tries to mimic it.

His eyes go wide and he’s smiling as much as he can with Castiel’s tongue practically wrapping around his own. Useless as it is their cocks bumping together feels amazing, sending little flashes of warmth over his body. There is a slight odor in the room from his own slick starting to form. It feels like a massive puddle but Dean knows that’s just him being paranoid, that his underwear isn’t even wet yet.

“You smell amazing,” Castiel murmurs against the flesh of his jaw, eyes closed. He looks positively wrecked already which is just as much of a shock as the statement that Castiel thinks Dean’s natural scent smells good. This goes against everything society has ever taught him about his body. Getting wet was shameful, enjoying sex was shameful, he was an omega and therefore put on this planet to birth children, preferably alpha sons, for those willing to pay good money. But here was Castiel, looking like he was even more turned on by Dean’s scent and rutting even harder against him.

Dean isn’t sure what to say in response to that so he stays silent, even as Castiel lays down on the bed, pulling him along. He pats Dean on the bottom then guides him to kneel upwards so he can rid himself of his bright orange briefs, shimmying out of them and kicking them to the side. The alpha’s erection bobs upward and Dean can’t stop looking down at it. He’s unsure what to do or where to go so he just hovers there until Castiel starts pulling on his own boxer-briefs.

"You're going up have up help me out here," Dean laughs, "not really sure what I'm doing." He laughs again and Castiel’s eyes light up as he joins in. "Well I get the gist." 

He nearly crashes face first into Castiel’s chest as they get his underwear off, holding up one leg then sliding the garment down with the toes of his other leg. They’re not laughing any more, just looking at each other with parted lips and half lidded eyes. A hand moves up the back of Dean’s thigh. He knows what’s coming and closes his eyes, breathing to force himself to relax.

The first press of Castiel’s finger inside him makes him hold his breath for a second before he exhales forcefully, smiling. Just that simple touch and he can tell that Castiel is doing this to make him aroused, not to make sure he can cram his cock in there. The finger presses and feels while the hand it’s attached to rubs against his perineum. 

“Feels good,” Dean huffs out with a laugh sounding almost apologetic.

“That’s the point,” Castiel responds then leans up to kiss him.

Dean kisses back, tilting his shoulders down a bit more so Castiel doesn’t have to keep his head off the bed. The position puts his ass up in the air but this doesn’t feel like he is submitting. This isn’t rolling over for an alpha. It’s foreplay.

Really one-sided foreplay. Dean shifts as he kisses Castiel, getting his weight on one elbow by Castiel’s shoulder so he can reach between them. Holding a penis is even stranger than before but he strokes the circle of his fist over it, hoping that this is good enough. Seems to be from Castiel’s reaction, the way his head tips back and his tongue goes slack in Dean’s mouth. 

Dean pulls away from the kiss, smiling at Castiel’s reaction. The grin is wiped off his face when Castiel hits that sweet spot with his finger. His eyes go wide and his head drops to bounce of Castiel’s sternum as he groans.

“Holy crap,” he whispers. Masturbating never felt this good.

Castiel snorts and nods his agreement but seems at a loss for words. Good, at least that means Dean is doing something right. He continues as best as he can, stroking over Castiel. Even though it’s not there now he can feel at the base where the knot would form. He wonders if Castiel intends to knot him tonight, never once considering that he has a choice in the matter.

The fingers leave him making Dean wonder when they were added as the hand settles on his hips. Castiel’s hand joins his own on his erection as he looks up at Dean. “Ready?”

Dean nods but isn’t sure if he needs to get off or let go of Castiel’s cock. Then Castiel starts guiding Dean’s hips down onto his penis and Dean’s eyes go wide and his mouth drops open, hand coming away. He was going to be on top. Castiel and he were going to fuck with him on top. Didn’t this break every single code of alpha behavior ever? Shock melts away from his face to be overtaken by happiness.

“Go slow,” Castiel warns, looking blissed out already. Dean nods as the head nudges against him. He bites his lower lip and sinks his hips as slow as he can. 

“It doesn’t hurt,” he says, looking a little confused as the tip slips in. He rolls his hips obediently, guided by Castiel’s hand on his ilium. 

“It’s not supposed to,” Castiel responds then gives him a sad smile.

No, it’s not, Castiel is right and it’s just now dawning on Dean that he would have done this if it hurt the entire time. He would have cringed and buried his face in the pillow while Cas plowed into him because that’s what Dean thought sex was supposed to be. But it’s not, he’s on top and Castiel is moving slowly, doing things to make sure Dean gets off too.

It feels incredible; full, but incredible. Castiel guides Dean with gentle hands on his hips so they can work a rhythm together. He’s still bent over as they move in unison so he can kiss Castiel, suck on his tongue and nibble at his lips. Castiel is patient, kind. He encourages Dean to keep the same tempo with his hands but moves his hips one way and then the other. 

The reasoning becomes clear after a minute. The head of Castiel’s penis brushes up on the same spot his fingers had been pressing into making Dean stutter and squirm. At first Dean feels like it’s too much but he doesn’t want to tell Cas to stop because too much feels damn good. He just rides it out, undulating his hips and sucking little marks onto Castiel’s collarbone.

His fist pounds the mattress as he feels like he’s going to be ripped apart by pleasure, mouth open and face buried in the flesh of Castiel’s chest. A pathetic little squirt paints Castiel’s abdomen as he orgasms but he feels like he’s released every tension he’s ever felt in his life. His lover continues to thrust slowly, running his hand over Dean’s back and waiting patiently.

“Can I knot you,” Castiel asks carefully after Dean is a little more cognizant. 

Even after all that Dean is still surprised that he’s being asked. He nods, smiling blissfully. 

“Get off and lay on your side,” Castiel instructs, no authority in his voice, it’s just a suggestion.

He moves carefully because now he gets what he’s read about being able to feel the knot starting to form. His movements are clumsy when he lies down on his side facing Castiel, confused when he crawls over him and spoons him from behind. 

“Oh,” he breathes out when Castiel pushes in again, feeling stupid. It doesn’t last long because even though he’s spent sexually it still feels good to have Castiel moving inside of him. With each thrust it gets harder and harder for Castiel to move until eventually he’s just laying there, face tucked into Dean’s neck and panting as he comes, the knot holding them together.

Dean reaches around and holds the back of Castiel’s head, breathing slowly. He wants to say thank you but that seems so wrong. “I can stay,” is what comes out.

“Good,” Castiel murmurs then kisses his neck. 

“I’m going to fall asleep with you inside of me but I can stay,” Dean clarifies with a sleepy laugh that turns into a yawn. Behind him he can hear Castiel yawning too.

“Sounds perfect,” comes the muffled response because Castiel has his face buried in his shoulder. It makes Dean smile. He keeps his arm wrapped around Castiel, fingers pushed into his hair. It feels amazing and as much as he tries to stay awake he finds himself dozing off, content.


	29. Chapter 29

Dean wakes up a total mess. He is disgusting with dried slick and semen coating his inner thighs and most of his ass. Looking over his shoulder carefully he sees Castiel, sleeping soundly with one arm thrown over Dean’s torso. Castiel looks at peace, happy, making Dean think he could lay with him for a while longer if he wasn’t completely mortified by the current condition of his body. 

As he pulls away slowly, trying not to wake Castiel up, Dean is horrified to notice that the same combination of their dried fluids is smeared over Castiel’s abdomen and thighs. He’s sliding out of bed, trying to be sneaky when his suitor’s eyes pop open and a lazy smile spreads on his face. 

“Morning.” Castiel sounds lazy, oblivious to the mess they’ve made. He rolls over onto his back and stretches, long limbs unfurling then sighs heavily and relaxes in to the bed. His eyes are closed and he’s scratching at his belly, flaking off the crusty substance that he doesn’t seem to care about. “Breakfast?”

“Uh, yeah, I need to shower first,” Dean stutters out, trying to relax when it’s so obvious that Castiel is being much more of an adult about this than he is. 

“I was thinking room service.” Castiel stretches again then rolls over onto his side to look at Dean who is half out of the bed and trying to cover himself up with the sheet. “The menu is on the desk by your clothes.”

Dean’s mouth hands open but he nods after a moment and drops the sheet to go get the menu. This was a normal part of sex and Castiel didn’t seem to care. At least that’s what he tries to convince himself as he carries the menu back. He sits on the edge of the bed to look at it. As soon as his ass hits the mattress Castiel is scooting forward and curling around him. Fuck this was weird. Indifferent people and awestruck fans were so much easier to deal with than the emotions that honest affection dredged up in him.

“I think I’ll have waffles and some fruit,” Castiel murmurs then kisses Dean’s hip. His hand glides gently over Dean’s back. 

“You don’t think I’m gross?” One day Dean will have control over his mouth, apparently today is not that day.

“You’re the most gorgeous person I’ve ever met…”

“I’m covered in sperm.” It sounds so stupid as soon as he’s said it he starts laughing. Castiel seems a little taken back but he smiles and rolls on his back, though his hand stays in contact.

“That happens during sex. Just imagine if you want me to pull out. I suggest the shower for that.”

“Why? How?” Dean looks confused. It’s not so much the choice as the fact that he’s supposed to be making decisions regarding sex and even guiding it. Well according to Castiel.

Castiel’s face goes serious. “Dean you have a right and a choice to tell me what you want. If you don’t want to have all that leaking out of you you’re allowed to tell me. I don’t care what they’re teaching you.” He pauses looking irritated. “In fact if that is what Toshi is teaching you we’re going to have to have a very long talk.”

“No, never that I didn’t have a choice, I just assumed,” he trails off and looks at his lap. “Shower, huh?” Dean smiles and turns to kiss Castiel on the forehead. “We’re going to try that one day, but not this morning.”

He gets up and tosses the menu by the phone. “I want tea, French toast and a side of bacon.” A smile forms on his face as he has yet another epiphany. “I’m not sore. I feel good.” Dean flops onto the bed to give Castiel another kiss, this time on the lips before he pushes up and heads into the bathroom to shower.

He showers quickly, happy to see that there are even toothbrushes in the little basket with the soaps. When he’s done he slips on the fluffy hooded bathrobe and heads back into the bed area with the hood up in case room service arrives when Castiel is showering. Castiel makes no move to get up when Dean emerges though, instead opting to sit on the bed completely naked with the remote in one hand and his phone in the other. The TV is on a news channel but it’s in a Middle Eastern language he guesses from the writing on the screen. Dean isn’t quite sure what to do with himself but he sits in the desk chair and waits for Castiel to acknowledge him.

The acknowledgement comes nearly a full minute after he’s settled in the chair. “Work, sorry, but the food is ordered.”

“Are you leaving?” His fingers trace the ties of the terrycloth robe.

“Not yet, just going to check some emails then we’re going to eat breakfast and then I have to bring you back to Toshi.”

Dean’s toes dig into the plush carpet. “But you are leaving after.”

“I have work to attend to, yes.” Castiel looks up from his phone and level a serious but hopeful look on Dean. 

“Can we keep in touch?” 

Castiel drops the remote and the phone to the bed and gets up to take the few steps to Dean’s chair. He squats down and puts one hand on Dean’s thigh, the other tucks a finger under his chin.

“If I give you a number will you promise not to be upset when I hardly ever pick up or rarely get to return your texts or messages?”

Dean is about to ask what the point is but stops to consider the question. Castiel wouldn’t be able to use a phone if he was doing his secret spy… stuff. But normal days, if Castiel even had normal days, he would. Dean licks his lips then nods. “Yeah, I can do that. Can I leave messages for you to come back to?”

“I’d like that very much.” Castiel smiles and gets up, kissing Dean quickly along the way. “I’m going to go shower, write in a tip for me if the food comes.”

Dean nods again then watches Castiel go, completely unashamed that he is naked. It is so strange when all of Dean’s life he has been taught that his body is shameful and here Castiel is, completely natural with their nudity, or in Dean’s case, near nudity. The door shuts and he looks around the room, unsure if he’s allowed to change the channel off of Castiel’s news program.

The suit bag spread across the desk catches his eye, a zipper compartment open and obviously containing something. Dean glances at the closed shower door then back at the bag before sticking his hand in and withdrawing a manila envelope. He shakes out the contents, eyes wide at what he sees, though he’s not really sure why he is surprised when Castiel was forthcoming with what he does for a living.

The first passport is blue with a tree on the front and the squiggly writing on the top that Dean isn’t even going to guess what language. The bottom says Republique Libanaise Passeport so he hazards a guess that it’s from Lebanon. He flips it open and sees Jamil Zahleet in the name field but a picture of Castiel. The next passport is from Paraguay and the one after that from the UAE. There is an envelope of cash so thick it strains the paper, the colors rainbow like. 

The knock on the door makes him jump, almost throwing everything before he catches himself and shoves the items back into the manila envelope then the suit bag. He straightens the robe before going to answer the door, trying to look cool and collected like he just wasn’t going through his suitor’s stuff and he got room service all the time.

Dean smiles at the bell hop who ducks his head immediately and holds out the ticket to be signed. He takes it, still smiling because he’s proud he can do this math in his head. After writing out the total he heads hands it back and steps aside so the bellhop can roll in the cart but the boy refuses to with a shake of his head. 

“I’m sorry, I know who you are but it’s not allowed, is there someone else in there?”

Just as Dean is about to yank the cart away, Castiel opens the bathroom door, towel wrapped around his waist and rubbing a smaller one over his hair. “It’s fine, bring it in.” 

Dean huffs and glares at the bellhop, silently saying ‘I told you so’ as the teenager goes. Castiel shoots him a look and he shrugs, arms folded across his stomach.

“I know who you are,” he mimics comically low tone of voice as he flops on the bed once the bellhop is gone. “Oh no an omega, I may not control myself around you because I’ve been taught my whole life it’s okay for me to be a fucking caveman.” Dean lays his hand against his forehead like he’s in great distress, writhing dramatically on the bed.

“Are you done?” Castiel is looking at him from the foot of the bed, smiling and shaking his head.

“It’s stupid, Cas and you know it,” Dean huffs and pushes up to seated because yes, he is done.

“Yes, but it’s probably hotel policy, not that kids fault.” Castiel is giving him a sympathetic look as he strips away the towels and pulls on boxers, this time sky blue and sits rolls the desk chair towards the cart so he can lift the domes. Dean immediately steals a piece of bacon.

“You even said I’m not allowed to walk about unescorted.” He breaks the bacon in half with his fingers.

“You’re not, not if you’re going to be courted by me.”

Dean scowls at the bacon then takes a bite. “Yeah, okay.”

“Thank you.” Castiel dumps maple syrup over his waffles then puts the bottle within Dean’s reach. Dean snatches it up to spread over his French toast. He sighs and remembers that Castiel is overprotective, it’s his fucking job and shoots him an apologetic look as he pours them tea, almost forgetting how to use a Western teapot for a minute.

“When are you going to be back?” Dean eats daintily, remembering his manner again after his little outburst.

“Hopefully a couple of weeks. I’ll get a phone sent over so we can talk when I’m available.”

“Be careful,” he says a little more worriedly than he meant to.

“Of course.” Castiel stabs a piece of fruit then a chunk of waffle.

Dean eats, trying not to care too much about Castiel being gone. They’ve been separated before, but then again they were not involved like this and in the end Castiel was actually watching over him. He wonders if there will be someone looking after him while Castiel is gone.

Once they’re finished eating Castiel gets dressed then helps Dean get dressed then gives him a serious look, gripping his shoulders and smiling sadly. “I told you this might be rough with me. I’m sorry. Give me time okay? I’ll make it up to you.”

Dean gives Castiel an equally sad smile and nods. “I know. I’m sorry I’m acting like a baby.”

Castiel just shakes his head and pulls Dean into a hug. “You’re reacting how your experiences have prepared you for this.” He snorts a laugh. “Hardly at all.”

Dean nods against Castiels’ shoulder. “Yeah.” He pulls away so he can press their lips together. “Be safe and bring me back something. I never get the last thing.”

“Oh, I apologize, I’ll bring it next time.” Castiel steps away fully and looks down. His whole demeanor is so unlike he normally is, almost shy. He looks up and straightens, exhaling. “I love you, Dean.” 

One corner of Dean’s mouth quirks upward. His mouth opens but Castiel is continuing.

“I wouldn’t have allowed you to spend the night with me if I didn’t love you and if you had not have given me a convincing argument.”

“I love you, Castiel,” he says, voice near a whisper. “It took me a while to figure it out but I think I have got it now. Well, at least that part.” He smiles but tears are pricking the corners of his eyes. “You respect me.”

“Wholeheartedly,” Castiel says with a firm voice. He leans in and slots their mouths together, lips parted to invite Dean in. Dean responds in kind, slipping their tongues together and stepping forward so their bodies slot together. His hood is off and Castiel’s hand fits against Dean’s neck and jaw holding them together. As they kiss Dean’s hand comes up to hold on to the edge of the trench coat to make it known that he wants this to last just as much as Castiel does.

When they pull away they’re breathless and smiling, tears in both of their eyes. Castiel pulls up Dean’s hood then holds out his arm for Dean to take. They both lean into each other, heads touching for a moment before straightening to walk out. As they walk they make small talk about missing each other and that they both need to be careful. Castiel promises to call as soon as he’s able.

Just before knocking on the door they kiss again, chaste but lingering. For a long time they just look at each other until Castiel steps back giving Dean’s arm a squeeze. Dean knocks, closing his eyes and smiling to himself as he hears squeals from behind the door then a shushing. It’s Kevin that opens the door, bowing to Castiel as Dean steps through the threshold. Dean is accosted by children hugging him and asking him where he had been as soon as the door is closed. He lets himself be guided into the bedroom of the suite and sits on the bed as he pushes back the hood, ready to explain.


	30. Chapter 30

“You didn’t use protection?”

Dean ducks because he honestly thinks that Kevin is going to throw something at him at this point. Nothing flies his way but he stays on guard as he presses the yukata from the Tanabata festival flat with an iron. It has to be done in one motion so they’re doing it on the floor, crawling along to make the clothing flat and crisp.

“Aren’t you worried?” Kevin is ironing the obis. In order to do so he has to stretch them up the entire side of the practice room because of their lengths.

Dean shrugs even though now is the first time since three days ago when he went up to Castiel’s room for the implicit purpose of having sex that he’s thought about the implications. Now there is the thought blossoming in the back of his mind that he might be pregnant. His stomach flutters with nerves but he resists the urge to press his palm to it. He shouldn’t have promised Kevin to tell him all the little gritty details of his encounter with Castiel.

“Wasn’t Castiel worried? Why didn’t he offer to use a condom?” Kevin is sitting back on his heels, looking at Dean critically and clearly waiting on a good explanation.

“He probably thought I used one of those ovulation tests they make us take before our mizuages,” he says meekly, looking at his work and not his friend. “But it doesn’t matter because it wasn’t close to my heat. I should get it in a few days.”

Kevin waves the iron at him and looks even more irritated and upset. “The middle part of the cycle between heats is when you’re the most dangerous!”

“Now my fertility is a danger,” he mumbles at the cloth he’s ironing, getting exasperated. “Before it was the only thing that proved my worth.” Dean looks at the ceiling and shakes his hands, iron included. “Why does everything revolve around stuff going in or coming out of my ass?”

Water splashes on the yukata he had been ironing making him curse as he mops it up with a spare cloth. Now he is a little worried. Honestly he never really worried about his cycle, there had only been one time it had fell on a day he was supposed to work. He had to stay home of course, being in heat and in public was absolutely not allowed. Not by any law, but strict social more.

“You should take a test,” Kevin says quietly, not looking up either now. “If you don’t cycle in a week.”

“Fine, but I’m pretty sure I’m okay. Though I need to get more of those ovulation tests before I see Cas again.” Satisfied he’s got the water up he goes back to ironing.

That gets Kevin’s head up. “You’re going to do it again? Does Castiel know you call him that?”

Dean blushes a little. “Of course I’m going to do it again, it felt awesome. And yeah, I’ve messed up in front of him a few times, he has no reaction to it.”

Their heads go back down, looking at their work for a few more minutes. Worry becomes panic as Dean starts to overthink it. They knew the drugs his father had given him hadn’t rendered him infertile. He was perfectly healthy and as far as he knew so was Castiel, though he had never asked. Maybe the reason that Castiel had gone a long with it was that he was infertile. 

No, Castiel was omega born and probably just as internally perfect as he appeared externally. As well as he treated Dean he was still a bit of a traditionalist. If he was infertile he would have brought it up when he proposed courtship.

The delivery doorbell rings and Dean jumps up to go see who it is, hoping it’s the mail since his phone hasn’t come in yet. He pulls on the hood of the yukata as he goes, flattening everything out so it laid right before stepping off the step and into the zori then heading for the door. Through the peephole he sees the mailman and opens the door eagerly to collect the packages.

The okiya receiving packages is nothing out of the ordinary. Families send their children things often and a lot of the supplies come from deliveries, including the food. Dean heads to the library, already being met by eager boys looking for their mail. He hands out a few things before getting to the box with his name on it. Without warning he dumps the remaining packages and envelopes in the next boy he sees arms and heads back to the practice room to open his.

Kevin is folding up the last obi but there are plenty of yukata to be ironed. Dean promises to pick it back up as soon as he has his phone set up. His friend shrugs it off and starts storing away the 

The phone and to a lesser extent the case for it Dean expects, Castiel said he would send a phone but what he doesn’t expect is the big plastic bag full of ovulation tests. So that settles any question that Dean has in his mind about Castiel’s virility as well if Castiel expected them to have sex. There is no note, which is disappointing but doesn’t surprise Dean in the least when he thinks about it a little more.

He frowns when he sees that the phone’s box has been opened but when he powers it on he sees why. There is a picture of the koi pond at the Sumitomo office park as the background and when he taps the icon with the little red one he sees that Castiel has sent him a message and added himself to the contacts but only listed himself as That Guy. Dean rolls his eyes at the attempt at humor then reads the message.

The message reads: _I’m going to miss you when I’m away. If you have any trouble the number to the emergency family hotline is programmed in under ‘emergency taxi’. Work knows that you are to be considered family and will extend to you all normal rights and protections. Please know that I may be gone for a while and that I am thinking of you daily. I love you._

He frowns at the phone for a minute before clumsily typing in his reply. _I miss you. You better come here first when you get back. I love you._

First, Dean figures out how to put a lock on his phone so no one sees his admittedly sappy messages to Castiel. Secondly, he changes Castiel’s name entry to Bruce Wayne pretty easily and starts up a few application downloads while he tends to his chores again. He intermittently checks the phone between getting the garments ironed, looking more for a response to his text than to see if the applications are finished down loading.

He gets the yukata finished, happy that Kevin gave him privacy with his phone. They have practice after lunch, a gig this weekend. Dean rarely has time for himself yet he’s shut himself away with this little device that allows himself to contact other people. He needs Sam’s number, Jess’ too he guesses. She’s been nice to him. Then he realizes that he can email Sam from his phone and feels a little stupid.

Not that it lasts long. They didn’t have money for technology like this when he was with his father so he wouldn’t have known how to use a phone like this. He had picked up using the other boy’s iPads pretty easily. Dean reminds himself that ignorance is not stupidity and skips lunch to get used to this phone.

At least that’s what he tells himself, not that he’s still looking to make sure that Castiel hasn’t sent a text back. He’s busy, Dean reminds himself as he tucks his phone away in the wrap of his obi and heads to his room to hide the ovulation tests before dance practice. They’ll have a few busy weeks of summer festivals before the start of the school year when things slow down. At least for the entire school, Dean and the three older boys will continue to go out nearly every weekend to private functions. 

Practice makes him more tired than usual. Kevin hisses pregnant at him as they head to shower but Dean rolls his eyes and blames his friend for making the choreography so athletic. That’s all it is, no one gets tired a few days into pregnant. 

He wonders what Castiel would do if Dean had to go to him and tell him he was pregnant. Probably something immensely noble like buy his papers and take proper care of him. He’d probably even be a great dad. Dean curses himself for entertaining the idea at all. 

Castiel doesn’t answer the texts, not that night or the next night. Dean uses the phone to practice his kanji and text Sam and Jess. He gets Andy’s number from Matsushita as well.

The pictures of the nursery Andy and Samandriel are decorating leave a weird sense of loss in Dean that he cannot explain.

He ignores it as the days stretch on without word from Castiel. Dean pretends it doesn’t bother him, that he’s happy. He is happy, he would just be happier if Castiel was at his gigs. The gravity of what Castiel did to attend his performances hits Dean on an evening when the taikomochi are being escorted to the private party on a yacht one Saturday evening.

Castiel showed up to every event that Dean had asked him to attend. Some of these were invite only, sometimes he snuck in with the caterers. And why? To see Dean, yet Dean told him off and said he never wanted to speak to him again when he saw him. Then what did Castiel do? Make sure he was safe from afar. 

He loses his resolve to not text Castiel until he was back and said he could talk and sends another text to him. _You did so much for me. What do you want? I have to be able to give it to you of course, but I want to show you I’m thankful._ Dean frowns at the message but presses send anyway. He overthought it but he doesn’t want Castiel to think that he’s offering to whore himself out or something. Maybe he’ll bake him a pie. It seems trite, a pie for a life but what can he do?

Apparently nothing but stare at a phone that his messages are not returned on. Dean sits in front of the computer for the better part of an afternoon and reads everything that he can on the NSA. He feels so monumentally stupid for thinking that Castiel was a security guard when he first met him when he learns what he can. The take away from what he learns is that he’s glad to be on Castiel’s good side but kind of wants to see him when he’s being scary.

The thing is, supposedly the NSA doesn’t glean information from people or interrogations, they watch people, do satellite surveillance, tap phones. So that means that when Cas was intimidating and killing for Dean, it’s not something he has a lot of experience doing. All of that was for Dean. From the dampness in his underwear he knows he is a little turned on by it and isn’t sure what to think about that.

All in all life is good for Dean. Kevin is watching him like a hawk, ready to pounce and cry pregnant if Dean complains of being hungry or tired. He is starting to get a little nervous since he hasn’t gone into heat yet but he tries not to worry about it too much since he’s never kept great track of it to begin with. It’s just something that happened to him, like everything else in his life.

He gets another part in a Honda commercial but it won’t film for months. Dean smiles as he deposits most of it into the scholarship fund, setting aside a small amount for himself. Hopefully this meant there were no hard feelings with Mr. Yamamoto.

Summer is in full swing, now that Castiel has been gone for almost a month. They have another summer festival to work coming up and they practice for hours, sweating in light kimono with the windows open to make a breeze. There is AC in the dorms that they retreat to in order to cool off, stripping down to their underwear to get the maximum blast of cold air on their skin.

It’s times like this that he thinks of Castiel, laying on his back with is legs spread and fingers pressing into his body. He wonders if Castiel has time to think about him in the same manner, jacking off in the shower with his name on those perfect lips.

It’s mid august when Dean is leading the boys through taiko drills, now feeling comfortable enough on the drums to start directing class. He’s become Matsushita’s assistant teacher in practice and in title even though there is so much he is learning himself. His phone is tucked into his obi and he barely feels the vibration over the ones of the drums that reverberate through his body with each beat.

Dean ignores it, thinking it’s Sam or one of his friends, which of course means it had been Castiel. He curses under his breath and hurries out of the room, letting the boys roll the drums out of the way.

 _I missed you terribly. I’m off duty but stuck in Europe and then DC for a few weeks. Can I see you in twenty days?_ Dean smiles at Castiel’s text message, laughing at how exact it was.

_Of course you can. I’ll let Matsushita know I’ll be gone that evening._

Castiel hadn’t asked Dean to spend the night with him but he wanted to let him know that he wanted it. He still hasn’t gone into heat but the pregnancy test came back negative. It has to be stress and nerves. Which probably means that he’ll get it as soon as he sees Castiel because that’s just his shitty luck.

_Where do you want to go? Do you have an event that weekend?_

Holy crap Castiel was going to take him out, like really out like normal people did. Dean just assumed they’d go to a hotel again to have sex. It felt so strange to have someone interested in his company outside of paying him to be there.

_I don’t know I’m pretty new to this whole dating thing. I have to do a brunch on Sunday but I’m sure you can find your way in or at least drop me off._

When Jess texts him it’s loaded with little punctuation smiley faces and stuff but he can’t bring himself to include them even though he’s mentally sticking his tongue out at Cas right now.

_I can probably arrange something, yes. I’m going to get some sleep. There is a 7 hour time difference_

Funny how Dean can hear Castiel’s sarcastic tone even though he can’t hear him. He sends Castiel another text telling him to get some sleep and call him when he can.

Now he’s in a spectacular mood and literally everyone notices. They even ask after Castiel, inquiring when he’ll be back. Dean answers but he’s a bit embarrassed by all the attention. Working is one thing, his patchwork family is another.

Castiel calls as he promised the next day. They talk for over an hour, Dean hiding away in his room. He talks about working too much and constantly being sore because Kevin is trying to make the dances more elaborate. They are getting more and more popular and needed to keep up their appearances. Matsushita agrees to Dean spending the weekend with Castiel as long as he’s back for the brunch on Sunday. He’s practically giddy at the thought.

Before they hang up Castiel promises to call again tomorrow. They talk every day, Dean ducking back into his room or heading out into the garden to answer Castiel’s texts. Pictures are exchanged, Dean’s favorite is of Castiel in aviators in front of a building with one finger over his mouth like he’s telling him to be quiet. He doesn’t get it so he shows Kevin who explains that it’s NSA headquarters.

Three days before Cas arrives his heat comes and he’s so relieved he’s not even sad to see it. Kevin seems just as relaxed as he is and doesn’t even complain when Dean locks himself in the bathroom for an hour to take care of himself.

When the Friday arrives he can barely contain himself. He’s a nervous wreck, none of the kimono look right and for the first time in a long while he wishes he had jeans and a snood. But he’s supposed to be proud of the okiya and he is, he just wishes he wasn’t so conspicuous. Castiel had promised dinner and a movie. It was so simple but he was so very excited. 

The doorbell rings and he can hear fifty pairs of feet running towards the windows to see Castiel, the blue eyed man moniker has been gone for a while now, get out of his car. He sighs and smoothes a hand over the obi. It’s the a new kimono, silk because Matsushita won’t let him dress down for anything any more. It was custom made for him, dark green covered in redwood motifs, the crest for the okiya at the center of his back and on the obi.

Dean looks in the mirror as he pulls the hood up, watching his features be cast in shadows. He follows Matsushita to the front door and steps down to put on his shoes, taking a packed bag from one of the younger students. The door is opened for him and he smiles when he sees Castiel, apparently also unable to dress down. 

“I will see you Sunday, Toshi,” he says with a slight bow and holds out his hand. Dean isn’t sure what he wants, his hand or the bag. He offers the bag, which Castiel takes without hesitation. He hates it a little, he’s perfectly capable of taking the bag and Castiel isn’t his bellman.

Everyone trades goodbyes and Dean follows Castiel to the car, getting in the door that is opened for him. He settles in the comfortable seat while his bag is deposited in the trunk.

Castiel is his normal self. They drive for a while then he pulls off onto the side of the road and grins over at Dean. 

“What?” Dean looks at him, clearly waiting for an explanation.

“Switch,” he says and gets out heading over to the passenger side.

“Really?” He would argue but he wants to drive so bad and he’s scrambling out of the car to get to the other side. As they pass Dean grabs Castiel’s lapel to stop him and leans over to kiss him. While their tongues slip together and their lips press gently, Castiel pushes the hood off of Dean’s head then lays it straight.

“No one will be able to tell when you’re driving, you try with it on though if you want to try. Most omegas use a scarf when they’re driving.”

Dean just grins widely and hurries to the driver’s side of the car to get in. Castiel offers him some tips but Dean just gets a wild look in his eye and smashes the gas pedal with his geta. The Mercedes launches off the gravel onto the road and accelerates quickly. This car might not have a soul like his dad’s old Impala but it is a performance vehicle.

“I can see you don’t need my help,” Castiel teases, gripping the door armrest.

“It’s like riding a bicycle,” Dean responds and pushes the car to eighty miles an hour. It’s a highway, not frequently traveled and there are currently no other cars. He thinks as he expertly takes a turn, tongue bitten between his lips. “Wait so omegas in other countries get licenses. Do they get them here?”

“Not frequently but I am there are no laws against it, not like in the Middle East.” 

“I heard it was worse there.” He steals a glance at Castiel. “You’re going to have to give me directions.”

“Mostly, yes. Just stay on this road.” Castiel is much more relaxed now. “Do you need your license?”

“It’s not about needing it, it’s about having the freedom to go get it.” Dean smiles as the coast down a hill. This felt free. “Can I drive all the way to the restaurant?”

“Put your hood on when you get into civilization,” Castiel says and presses some buttons on the dash. An electronic voice tells them that there are ten more miles before the next turn. “If you want to go get it, I can take you.”

Dean just smiles and speeds up in of the apex of the turn.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This sucks and I'm sorry. Life has been coming at me very hard and I've been unable to deal with everything and keep this up. If this chapter seems awkward it's because I could get a little out and then write the date if there is interest or just kind of gloss over it to get to the next big thing. What say you?


	31. Chapter 31

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> GOMEN GOMEN I've been busy!

Dean makes a mental note to text Andy that he can see okay with the hood up while he’s driving. He suspects that Samandriel has been letting him drive though and it’s probably not necessary. What’s more important here is that Castiel is going to back him in his desire to get a legal license. 

The look on the valet’s face is priceless, so much so that Dean knows he has to take a picture the next time he gets to drive to a valet. He gets a lot of odd looks but all he does is smirk and step to the side of the curb to hold out his arm for Castiel to loop his arm through so they can walk up to the restaurant together. As they walk Castiel ducks his head to kiss Dean’s cheek, grinning broadly.

Someone gets the door for them then they’re escorted to a table where Castiel gets Dean’s chair for him. Nearly everyone is looking at the tall omega in the not-so-subtle kimono. Dean ignores that in favor of looking solidly at Castiel, smiling a little. It’s obvious his suitor can tell what he’s thinking, that the people staring are the problem here, not him.

“I need to get out more,” Dean says cockily.

“I’ll be happy to arrange that,” Castiel replies without taking his eyes off of Dean as he takes the wine menu. Only when it’s gone on too long do they look down at their menus. “It’s a steak restaurant so I’m thinking red.”

“I heard that’s normal,” Dean downplays. Truth be told he hasn’t studied whether red goes with beef or white with fish. No, he’s been forced to learn what grape type goes with which cut of meat. He probably knows as much as the sommelier working at the restaurant, but he also knows when to bring up that information and when to keep quiet. 

“My head is spinning, you look,” Castiel says after a few minutes and holds out the wine menu. 

Dean grins, full of self-satisfaction and takes the menu. “Lets get cocktails and decide on a bottle when we know what we want to eat.”

Castiel seems impressed with that which only makes Dean happier so when the waiter comes around they order mixed drinks and continue to mull over the menu. People are not staring any more but he can feel the occasional glance. They sip their drinks and discuss options, ultimately getting a chateaubriand for two and a St. Emilion cabernet that Dean doesn’t look at the price.

Dean wonders if this is typical for the dinner and a movie date. He’s seen some movies but doesn’t know if this is what normal people do. Maybe it’s normal for Cas. He purses his lips, wanting to ask about Castiel’s job but knowing that talk about the NSA wasn’t normal.

“Everything okay?”

Dean jolts and nods, laughing a little. “Yeah, I was just thinking of something to say that wasn’t ‘how is work’?”

“It’s work.” Castiel lifts his drink as if that explains everything then drains it. “I shouldn’t complain, I live very comfortably and I seem to get out of most dangerous situations mostly unscathed.”

“But you’d rather do something else.” Dean drains his drink too.

“Something that doesn’t make any money,” Castiel responds.

“Well it’s not like you need any. You don’t have a family and you probably don’t need that big of an apartment.” He sits back and they both go silent when their salads are placed in front of them. When Dean looks back up he sees Castiel looking at him like he’s not quite sure about him, head tilted slightly to the side.

Dean’s left hand falls to just under the obi as his right picks up the fork to stab at lettuce he doesn’t really want to eat. Castiel was his suitor, he knows this, it just comes as a bit of a shock when he remembers what ultimately happens after courting has taken place. His voice is quiet, small, when he speaks again. “Do you like kids?”

“I do,” Castiel replies easily, stabbing his salad with more vigor. “It’s still socially unacceptable for alphas to take an interest in children so I can’t really pursue working with them but I find them entertaining and fascinating. I’d like children of my own. I want to witness that awe at true discovery and the innocence that comes with it.”

By the time Castiel is finished speaking, he’s smiling at Dean fondly. “Well, you’ve got as much chance being a kindergarten teacher as I do being a general but you are best friends with a guy that runs a school and kind of dating one of his teachers.”

Castiel laughs at that but shakes his head. “What would the parents say?”

“Probably something along the lines of, ‘wow he’s really attractive and good with a sword’. Dean shoves more lettuce in his mouth and chews, nodding like he knows he’s right.

Holy crap, Dean got Castiel to blush. Now he’s really pleased with himself and can’t stop grinning.

“So the alpha that teaches omega children kendo and the omega that runs a school,” Castiel muses between bites, “sounds like an interesting place.”

Dean nearly chokes. “I didn’t say anything about running it,” he says and waves his fork.

“But you could. You could do it all.” Castiel looks like he’s imagining something but shakes himself out of it. “Anyway, I think I’ll pursue a different career when I retire from my current one. It’s only a few more years and I have the trust fund for when I have children.”

Dean thinks he would give a lot to know what Castiel had been thinking about when he had paused but now he’s also thinking about the fact that Castiel really wants children. His hand falls down to his stomach again, fingers tracing over the silk. He wants them too, he just doesn’t want to be objectified over it.

“You could do both you know,” Castiel says casually as he shoves his plate over to the side of the table. It’s promptly picked up by a busboy that seems to appear from nowhere. “You’d do spectacular at both. Then the boys at the school would see you working and raising your kids. It would be a great example.”

Dean’s mouth hangs open at that and his fingers press into his belly. “I can’t raise alphas in an okiya.”

Castiel shakes his head no in agreement. “No but you could live nearby and it would only be inappropriate at a certain age. An age well beyond when they’d be at their own schools.”

Was he about to agree to this? Dean wanted to agree. He wanted to say yes, please, make it happen, but he just nods and finishes up his salad so he can push the plate away too.

“I’ve made you uncomfortable,” Castiel states. He inspects the wine that the waiter presents to him, even though Dean ordered it. When he is offered a sample to taste though he holds out the glass for Dean to take instead.

Dean grins broadly and takes the glass, sipping it then passing back to Castiel. “That’s fine, thank you,” he says to the waiter who looks slightly surprised.

“I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of watching you do that,” Castiel says with a sly grin after the waiter has left.

“You do get off on it,” Dean whispers, ducking a little so he can lean forward. 

“Of course it turns me on, you’re cute when you’re assertive,” Castiel whispers back.

“Cute?” He looks disappointed.

Castiel’s expression flickers to panic stricken before he recovers. “How about really attractive?”

“Thank you.” Dean sips his wine and looks in the glass. His eyes flick up to meet Castiel’s own. “I think I’m adorable.”

Castiel sighs and sits back in his chair looking completely exasperated. Dean can’t help but laugh. “You made me think I really offended you,” Castiel says, looking away for a moment. Now Dean is panicking a little because he thinks maybe he really went too far but the corners of Castiel’s mouth starts quirking and he’s laughing too.

Dean sighs and shakes his head, slumping back in his chair too but he is also starting to laugh. They both manage to contain themselves when the waiters show up to put their steak down and split it half then dish out a la carte vegetables. “Looks good,” he says when the waiters leave.

“It’s one of the better places in town,” Castiel says as he slices up his beef. Dean notes that he eats continental style and mimics it.

The beef is divine and Dean barely holds himself back from making an obscene noise when he chews it. Castiel smiles at him and they both struggle not to laugh with their mouths full. For the next several minutes they’re quiet while they try everything.

“You didn’t make me uncomfortable, by the way,” Dean interjects after washing some asparagus down with wine. “Well you put me out of my comfort zone but I get why.”

Castiel doesn’t say anything and Dean knows why. He wants Dean to say what he wants in reference to what they were talking about earlier. Dean swallows hard and turns the wine glass by its stem. “I want children. I want to teach. I want both.”

“Then you’ll have both.” Castiel sounds like it’s a done deal.

“I don’t want it if it’s just handed to me,” Dean clarifies quickly.

“Working hard for something and letting someone that loves you very much help you achieve your goal isn’t having something handed to you.”

Dean accepts that albeit begrudgingly but scrunches up his mouth in confusion as he cuts up his beef. “You sent me… tests with the phone.”

“I want children, but not at the expense of having an unhappy brother-in-law signing over papers at my own shotgun wedding. It’s your body doing all the work, you’ll let me know when you’re ready.” Castiel is grinning at his own joke scenario and it makes Dean smile too. Not just because the image of Sam with that dirty diaper look he gets when he is unhappy is funny, but also because Cas is once again letting him call the shots.

He finishes his food, thinking. It doesn’t even occur to Castiel to not make him a partner in this relationship. The escort thing bothers Dean but Castiel has a dangerous job and a group of men decided to rape him because he joked about one. Alphas pretended to be so strong but harm one’s ego and he apparently needed to recruit others to seek retaliation.

“Are you okay?”

Dean realizes he’s been silent for the rest of the meal and now there is a waiter trying to hand him a desert menu and Castiel is looking at him with concern. He smiles and shakes his head. “Sorry, spaced out,” he explains. It’s a half truth.

Castiel is still looking at him like he is trying to figure out what is wrong but isn’t saying anything. Well he wants to make him an equal partner but apparently he still worries. Dean can’t tell if that’s the job or traditional view on omegas. He glances at the menu before handing it back to the waiter with his work smile plastered on.

“Mom’s apple pie,” he requests and picks up the last of his wine. Castiel gets a more sincere smile as his suitor orders crème brûlée. As soon as his menu is taken Castiel reaches out and takes Dean’s free hand. 

“Something is on your mind.” It’s stated, not a question. Dean swallows hard then takes a long drink of wine.

“Well, yeah, Cas,” he laughs and squeezes Castiel’s hand. “I’m not a robot, I just don’t turn off.”

“Want to talk about it?”

Dean shakes his head, biting his lower lip. “No, I just need to process.”

“Okay then.” Castiel smiles and it’s obvious he’s going to drop it but he keeps holding Dean’s hand. It feels awkward but he lets it continue until the deserts are placed in front of them. They eat quietly as well, Dean still thinking about how he’s signed up to get married and have children while working. 

Castiel pays for the bill and gets up to offer his hand to Dean. People are looking at them again but he just keeps his eyes on Castiel’s face as he gets up and is escorted out of the restaurant and to the valet area. Castiel makes casual conversation about the food and the movie they’re going to see. A superhero movie, well at least he’s paying attention to Dean’s casual interests.

Dean wants to drive again but he obediently gets in the car when the door is held open for him. As soon as the doors or shut though he makes a comment about going for a drive tomorrow. Castiel agrees with an enthusiastic smile. 

People think they’re being sneaky in taking pictures while they walk up to the movie theater. It’s an old timey one, with the big marquis and only two screen but the inside has been redone so it is technologically up to date. They don’t get popcorn because they both agree they’ll burst if they even look at food right now and head into the movie theater. Castiel slips Dean his flask with that million-dollar smile that seems to be reserved just for Dean as they sit.

Even with all that’s happened he can still get lost in the movie. Dean leans his head onto Castiel’s shoulder, who in turn, leans his head on Dean. They don’t move until the last credit has rolled by and they’re both kind of smiling.

“We can go for drinks,” Castiel offers as they step into the street. There are far fewer people on the streets right now but the ones that are left do look at Dean. He just keeps his attention on Castiel and thinks, shaking his head slightly.

“Can we get a drink where we’re staying? You filled me up with good food and wine then sat me in the dark for two hours. I don’t think I’ll last much longer.” 

Castiel sighs, sounding relieved. “Good, time zone jumping can take a lot out of me.” He offers his arm and they head back towards the parking lot. A scruffy looking man leaning on a newspaper box catcalls at Dean. Castiel levels a look on him and shakes his head. For a second it looks like the man is going to challenge him but he holds up his hands in defeat and mumbles something under his breath. Dean doesn’t catch it but Castiel must because he’s pulling away and heading over to the man.

“Apologize to him,” Castiel seethes, gripping the back of the jerk’s neck with a practiced hand. Dean opens his mouth to tell Castiel to stop but his suitor is already forcing the guy’s head down quickly making his head bounce off the newspaper box.

“Cas!” Dean steps forward as the guy mumbles his apology. Castiel drops him and walks over to Dean, pulling out a handkerchief to wipe his hands on.

“Did you hear what he was calling you?” Castiel looks disgusted.

“No but I’ve heard it all before.” Dean now feels bad for Castiel. “They call me slut and needy whore. Baby maker, knot gobbler. Cas, I’m used to it. It’s okay.”

“No.” Castiel shakes his head. He actually looks distraught “No, you’re not those things.”

“Well, I know that.” Dean looks around Castiel at the guy who is picking himself up off the ground. “Come on, before he calls the police on us.”

“I can handle the police, Dean,” Castiel says but lets himself get pulled along by the wrist. 

“Oh yes, just flash him one of your IDs and tell him it’s okay,” Dean says darkly as they approach the car. He turns and looks at Castiel, realizing he just admitted to going through his stuff but plays it off. “Lets go get a glass of wine at the hotel and forget that the most of the world sees me as a needy child and the rest sees me as a slut.”

“You went through my bag,” Castiel says flatly as he buckles himself in then starts the car.

Dean’s mouth opens and closes a few times. “Cas, I…” Fuck. He looks out the window and chews on his lip. “I’m curious. You’re interesting. I’m the poorly bred omega that is a novelty. I don’t know what I’m allowed to ask.”

“I could always just tell you I can’t answer,” Castiel says. They pass the guy by the newspaper box as they exit the alley. He gives them the middle finger as they go. 

“What were you doing when you were gone?” Dean looks at Cas, pushing the hood back a little bit to see him better.

“I was in Lebanon again. I’m making headway with the case. When it’s over I’ll retire.”

“That’s why you took a sudden interest in an omega. You’re almost done with work? Now’s the time to start making babies?” Dean sounds accusatory but he can’t help it. Even after everything Castiel does he can’t believe that anyone would have an honest interest in him.

“Dean, stop. You’re smarter than that. You pursued me.” Castiel angrily juts a finger at his own chest. “You initiated this.”

Dean’s mouth snaps shut. Castiel is right. He was the one that kept putting himself in Castiel’s path. 

“And that’s what I fell in love with. You’re desire and strength.” Castiel looks furious and he should be. He’s just tried to give Dean a very nice night but Dean being the idiot that he is managed to accuse him of being a pig headed alpha. Dean looks at his lap, feeling stupid.

The rest of the drive is spent in silence, Dean burning up with embarrassment and guilt and Castiel white knuckling the steering wheel and looking furious. They don’t speak when the valet takes their luggage and car, nor when they pass the bar and head right to check in. Dean stays back as Castiel talks to the receptionist, still kicking himself mentally. He hears his suitor request a bottle of wine to be sent up but doesn’t mention it as they head to the elevators. It’s just more silence, Dean can barely stand it.

“I’m sorry,” he mutters, looking down so that the hood hides his entire face.

Castiel’s silence terrifies him but as the elevator chimes he hears a sighs and feels a hand on his back over the obi’s knot. “It’s fine. Go through my stuff I don’t care.”

“Cas,” Dean says sadly, not looking up but letting himself be guided to their room. Once inside he slips out of the geta then straightens them with his toe. He sits on the bed and gets out of the tabi, wiggling his toes into the plush carpet once his feet are bare. It feels good.

Castiel heads into the bathroom, closing the door behind him. Dean still feels like shit but he isn’t sure what to do. He gets up and heads to the enormous window to look out over the city. They’re high up and window is the entirety of the external wall so everything below is twinkling lights. He looks over his shoulder when he hears Castiel exiting the bathroom but straightens when there is a knock to the door.

Dean doesn't say anything, just looks out the window at the city lights. He can hear Castiel moving around behind him, letting the bellhop in so their bags can be put away. The door shuts again and he knows that they’re alone. A quiet sigh escapes him as he feels the hood being pulled down and a kiss placed on the back of his neck. Maybe this means he is forgiven.

Hands run down his arms then joins his through laced fingers. Castiel lifts their hands to press against the glass as his lips press against a knob of spine. This time he doesn't just kiss, he sucks and flicks his tongue out to taste. It sends a shiver down Dean's spine, making his body shudder. 

Castiel presses against his hands firmly then backs off. Dean takes it to mean he's supposed to leave his hands where they are and does so, curious to see where this is headed. He shifts slightly when the obi is unknotted, exhaling and sucking in his stomach so Castiel has more room to undo the knots. It occurs to him that this could also be Castiel’s apology.

The thought is fleeting as the obi slides from around his stomach with a soft sound and the kimono and all the under layers are gently pulled from his shoulders. He has to move his hands from the window to allow Castiel to disrobe him. Dean can hear Castiel drape his clothing over the desk then he feels hands running down his arms again to fix his hands back on the window. 

Castiel's hands feel hot against the newly exposed flesh. He rubs back down over Dean's shoulders then pauses at the waistband of his underwear. Lips pressed gently to Dean's back make him jump slightly. Every vertebrae of his spine is kissed carefully, reverently and by the time Castiel is to the small of his back Dean is struggling to breathe normally and damp between the legs. 

Castiel exhales like he's in awe of Dean. It makes him shift again then gasp as his underwear is pushed down, much more roughly than how the kimono was handled. He kicks off the underwear without prompting and starts to look over his shoulder at Castiel but decides the anticipation is better and quickly looks back at the cityscape. 

Dean smiles and lets his forehead rest against the glass as Castiel stands up and kisses his shoulder but his expression goes surprised when a foot nudges his own wider. He complies of course, widening his stance and pressing back slightly into Castiel's space. It's odd being completely naked while Cas is still dressed but it dawns in him that this is because Castiel is doing this for him. 

A finger slips inside him easily as marks are kissed into his shoulders. Dean falls forward against the window, gasping in pleasure. He's so turned on that another finger slides in immediately and he barely registers that Castiel is descending down his body again, trailing kisses along the way. 

A soft groan briefly fogs the glass as he struggles to stay upright. The kisses have stopped and Dean is grateful because the fingers inside him are almost too much alone. His eyes go wide as he jolts forward, pleasure making him go weak in the knees again. He’s trying not to speak because Castiel hasn’t said a thing since the elevator but he’s groaning and gasping.

It certainly doesn’t get any easier when he feels something wet that isn’t his own slick on his hole. Dean feels like he is going to jump out of his skin when he realizes that it is Castiel’s tongue circling the fingers, occasionally dipping in alongside them.

There are three fingers now, pumping in and out methodically, pressing against the nerves on each thrust in. Dean is shuddering, practically feeling near tears only because it’s feels so good. His body rocks with every thrust in, chest bumping up against the glass. 

“Cas!” He can’t help but shout his lover’s name as he orgasms, feebly trying to grip the glass to keep himself up right. Castiel pulls away, inhaling sharply as he stands up. Dean supports himself on the window, catching his breath and trying to form thoughts on what just happened.

What just happened was that Castiel worshipped him, brought him to orgasm and was now retreating, not asking for anything for himself.

“No,” Dean says breathily and turns around. He must look like a wreck, panting, impotent seed streaked down one thigh. Castiel did that for him because he cares, because he wants Dean to feel good. Then he remembers that Castiel pretty much affirmed that he thinks it’s hot when Dean is assertive. “I’m not done with you yet.”

Castiel looks up confused but smiles a second later. “Oh? And how would you want me?”

“Naked for one,” Dean replies, also smiling.

Castiel starts stripping. “I meant it, I’m not mad. I’d have preferred…”

Dean holds up a finger to silence Castiel. “Shh, less talking about our inabilities to accept this,” he gestures vaguely between them, “and our piss poor communication skills. More naked.”

“You’re cute,” Castiel teases as he rids himself of the last of his clothes. Dean pulls an irritated face and barrels into him. They crash into the bed laughing, both knowing that all is forgiven between each other. When they land they’re facing each other on their sides, holding each others’ hands between them. It’s Dean that starts kissing first, sucking on Castiel’s bottom lip and letting go of one hand to wrap over his shoulders. He can taste himself on Castiel’s lips, not unpleasant but a reminder that his suitor is different.

He rolls on his back, pulling Castiel on top of him and spreading his legs. Castiel situates himself, guiding his cock to bump against Dean’s slick and ready hole. Dean arches his back and grips Castiel’s shoulders, neck bared to further the point that he is ready, hell he wants this.

With one movement Castiel pushes in and dives down to lavish that neck with gentle kisses and quick flicks of tongue. Dean wants more but he gets why, his job requires him to look perfect and being marked up like an actual whore is not perfection. He wraps his legs around Castiel’s waist and tries to move as much as possible. It’s not really necessary because Castiel is moving, thrusting as he pants against Dean’s neck.

They fuck like this, Dean scratching up Castiel’s back and Castiel breathing needy ‘I love yous’ against Dean’s skin. It’s needy and raw and Dean fucking loves it. He can feel himself getting closer to a second orgasm, his body going slack and his grip on Castiel’s shoulders starting to falter.

“ROOM SERVICE!”

Castiel pulls back slightly and looks at Dean. Both of their eyes are wide and their mouths are hanging open before they laugh. “Fuck me,” Castiel grunts and pulls out and gets off the bed to find his wallet.

“I was trying to,” Dean says, actually a little thankful that he can catch his breath. There is an awkward exchange through a barely cracked door then Castiel is back, crawling up over his body again, sliding home and sucking marks onto Dean’s chest. It’s slower now, rhythmic pumping that is still bringing Dean to the edge.

Castiel pushes up so that his arms are straight, looking down at Dean with affection. Yes, they had a spat but Castiel forgives him and he knows they’ll have more. They’ll argue about both their jobs, their children, where to take vacations but at least they know it’s because they’re both strong willed and that’s the thing that made them fall in love with each other.

“Close,” Castiel mumbles, dipping down to kiss Dean briefly. Dean knows he’s supposed to say what he wants and frankly this is a terrible position in which to tie. Then he remembers the tests and the fact that he never took one.

“Shit, pull out, pull out,” he panics but feeling guilty as soon as he does.

Castiel does so, releasing just as he is unsheathed, squeezing his hand around the base of his penis and looking pained. Dean feels terrible but relieved. That is until he realizes that he is being completely doused in semen. His mouth and eyes go wide and he can’t look away. There is just so much of it and it doesn’t seem to show any sign of stopping.

“Crap, I’m so sorry,” he apologizes but Castiel is shaking his head and trying to regain composure. It seems to take forever but really it’s under a minute when Castiel finally stops releasing. 

“No, it’s okay, sorry, it’s all over you.” Castiel crashes onto his side then rolls over on his back, hand still over the knot. He looks like he’s in pain and Dean feels like absolute shit over it.

“Are you okay?” Dean sounds small. “I never tested, I forgot.”

“Yeah, fine,” his suitor grunts out. “Just don’t want to move. Go clean up. It’s okay.”

“You look like you’re in pain.” He looks down at himself and wishes he hadn’t.

“It’s my face, Dean,” Castiel says with a weak smile. “I’m fine that was just intense.”

“Yeah,” Dean agrees with a nod. “I’m going to shower. I look like a fetish video.”

Castiel actually laughs at that. Dean does too and carefully leans over to kiss Castiel before getting up and heading to shower. He’s quick about it because it feels wrong to leave his lover on the bed, holding his own knot while he gets to take a nice, hot shower. They talked about this though, and Dean now understands fully why the shower is the ideal place if Castiel needs to pull out.

He puts on a robe and heads back to the bed, happy to see that Castiel looks more relaxed. “Wine?” 

“Yes,” Castiel grunts and pushes himself up so he’s propped on the pillows against the headboard. Dean catches a glimpse of the still swollen base of Castiel’s penis and can’t help but stare. It looks painful but then again what would an omega know. He doesn’t even get fully erect.

The bottle had already been uncorked so he grabs wine glasses from the minibar and pours them healthy amount of wine. He sits on the bed, one leg tucked up under him and looks at Castiel with an affectionate smile. “Is sex always awkward?”

“Considering that it’s rubbing our genitals together, yes,” Castiel says with a snort as he takes his glass. “Our awkward sex is pretty amazing.”

“Yeah.” Dean sips the wine. He’s wondering about Castiel’s previous partners but he knows that asking is just a terrible idea. What matters is them together right now, even if the curiosity burns him up.

He turns so he can press next to Castiel and enjoy their wine. It’s late but Castiel isn’t moving and he needs a shower too. They lay there, just enjoying each other quietly, this time the silence not uncomfortable. After a while Castiel hands Dean his empty glass and heads to the bathroom. Dean refills their glasses and puts on some underwear, climbing back into bed sans robe. Castiel joins him shortly after. They curl up and finish their wine, falling asleep in each other’s arms. 

Dean wakes up first, grimacing at the light filtering through the floor to ceiling windows. He stumbles across the room to pull the curtains shut then gets back in bed with Castiel, burrowing under the covers and into his side. They sleep for several more hours, getting up slowly and reluctantly, tangling around each other lazily.

Castiel finally gets up when his phone rings, taking the call in one of those foreign languages he speaks. Dean huffs but lays on the bed, propped up on the pillows, watching him pace. So this is what it will be like living with him full time. When he’s around to live with.

“I swear, if you’re leaving again,” Dean grumps when Castiel hangs up the phone and puts it on a charger. Castiel looks exasperated, holding up a hand as if telling Dean to stop before he gets started. “No, I’m cool with it. Just, it sucks.”

Castiel softens and smiles. “Well it will be a few weeks before I leave but I’ll be here the entire time. I put the condo in D.C. on the market and moved all my stuff to storage.”

“Where are you moving?”

“Here,” comes the reply like it was obvious.

“Seriously?” Dean smiles big.

“Can’t court you from D.C.,” Castiel replies, still smiling. “Lets get dressed. You can drive us to a vineyard and we’ll have lunch then stay at one of the B&Bs out there.”

Dean jumps up at that, pulling out the kimono he is to wear today while Castiel folds up the one from yesterday. Castiel helps him get dressed, muttering that it wasn’t necessary for him to be this dressed up to go driving and now it meant he had to wear a suit too.

The valet guys want their pictures with Dean, which he obliges because he pretty much has to and because he’s in a great mood because Castiel is moving just to be closer to him. When Dean gets behind the wheel even more photos are taken before Castiel calls an end to it so they can get moving. 

The drive is blissfully long though bittersweet since it reminds Dean of driving with his father except that Castiel doesn’t belittle him the entire drive. They discuss the move, or rather that Castiel doesn’t know where exactly he’s moving but just that he knows he is and is looking for a place. Dean tells him it should be as close to the okiya as possible but he does so in a joking manner because he doesn’t want to be presumptuous. 

They tour a vineyard, Dean consciously aware that people are taking pictures of him as much as they are the scenery. He tastes wine and has a big dinner, now famished from being awake for so long without a meal. Castiel makes a big order for wine but informs them he’ll have to call in the address for shipping later. Dean can only roll his eyes at how much all this costs. He used to wish he had a dollar for the soda machine at a forty-dollar a night hotel. Now, he watches as his suitor drops thousands on wine he can’t bring home with him yet after staying at a place where they won’t let you park your own car.

The vineyard staff recommends a bed and breakfast a few miles away. Castiel drives this time, keeping one hand on Dean’s thigh the entire time. They don’t have to talk constantly and Dean enjoys this, looking out the window at the terraced crops with the comforting weight of Castiel’s hand on him. 

Once their bags are unloaded, and frankly it’s a bit of a change to get their own bags, they sit out in the back garden with the lone bottle Castiel did bring with him. It’s lit with tiny lights so it doesn’t distract from the sun going down over the landscape. They sip their wine and converse when they feel like it, falling into their comfortable silences when they don’t.

Dean actually remember to test himself when they go back in, assuming Castiel will want sex. He stands in the bathroom in his juban, scowling as he watches the little plus sign appear. With a huff he tosses the stick in the trash then heads into the bedroom to tell Castiel the bad news.

Castiel takes the information in stride and reaches out for Dean, pulling him into his arms. Even though he seems content to finish their wine with the TV on Dean feels guilty, like he should be sucking Castiel off to make up for it, but after seeing the sheer amount of ejaculate his suitor produces Dean isn’t sure that he can swallow that much. 

He decides to try anyway. Dean pushes up and puts his wine glass on the bedside table, purposefully reaching over Castiel. He grins as he stays on his hands and knees to kiss Cas, hoping he looks like he’s eager and not scared to death that he’s going to try this without any idea of what he’s doing. After kissing him for a few minutes he notices that Castiel is hard and he pushes back to start working on his fly.

Castiel must want it because he doesn’t ask what they’re doing or protest. In fact he pushes off the juban and starts running his hands over Dean’s shoulders and chest. Once the trousers are open and the waistband of his underwear is tucked under his balls Dean starts stroking, trying to work up the nerve to put that massive thing in his mouth.

His plans and concentration are interrupted though when Castiel pushes him off, guiding him gently so he is laying on his side facing Dean. Castiel shimmies out of his suit and underwear then shucks off the undershirt he’d been laying around in. He leans forward to kiss Dean pushing his underwear off as well.

Castiel hitches Dean’s top leg up over his own hips, all the while kissing him. Dean isn’t sure when he lost control of this situation or what is going on but then he feels a finger prodding at him and he smiles into the kiss. This was meant to be mutual since they can’t have sex in the traditional sense. 

As he starts stroking his fist over Castiel he falls a little bit more in love and is elated that it will probably end just like this, without him having to figure out exactly how to give a blowjob. They lay there, Castiel’s fingers working into Dean’s prostate while he gives probably the most pathetic handy in the history or mutual masturbation. 

Though Castiel isn’t sounding pathetic. In fact he sounds pretty damn pleased. This turns Dean on just as much as the stimulation and he’s biting onto Castiel’s shoulder as he comes, not even thinking of the implications, just trying to stay quiet because they’re basically in someone’s house. He makes a disappointed noise when Castiel withdraws because damnit he’s heard about omegas having multiple orgasms and he wants that. Badly. But as Castiel reaches over him and grabs the discarded t-shirt to place between them.

It only takes a second for Dean to register what is happening and strokes faster thumb massaging over the head and wrist twisting. He kisses Castiel again, trying his damndest to do what he thinks would feel good if his own penis wasn’t useless. Apparently he’s doing something right because Castiel starts spilling, holding the t-shirt over Dean’s hand to catch the mess.

They laugh and kiss as they ride out their orgasms together. Dean’s happy, it’s obvious that Castiel is happy, this is one of the few times Dean allows himself to hold out hope. Things will work themselves out, they’re already starting to and it will only get better. Castiel lays there for a minute then excuses himself to go clean up. 

Dean lays there staring up at the ceiling and letting himself come down from the high of his orgasm. He feels something wet on his forefinger and holds up his hand. There is a fleck of come, white and shiny, on his finger, slowly running down. His eyes dart to the bathroom door before looking at it again then hesitantly brining his finger to his lips. He musters courage and sticks his finger in his mouth, tongue pulling the semen off. It doesn’t really taste like much of anything, which he supposes is a good thing. Still from the state of himself last night and the t-shirt he knows that it’s going to be a lot more than a dribble running down his finger.

They don’t say anything about it when Castiel gets back in bed with Dean, curling around him and burying his face in Dean’s neck. After a few minutes though he can hear Castiel inhale hesitantly, like he wants to say something.

“What?”

“You bit me,” Castiel replies flatly.

“I was trying to be quiet,” he offers in explanation.

“Oh.” There’s a relieved sigh. “I thought…”

“Oh crap.” Dean turns in Castiel’s arms so their facing each other again. “No, sorry. I didn’t mean it like that… Does anyone even do that anymore? And I’m not the alpha.” He laughs. “Obviously. I just, really, I was trying to be quiet and…”

Castiel kisses him, shutting him up. “It’s fine, Dean. I suppose I could do it, I would just find it uncomfortable if you wanted me to do that to you.”

Dean laughs. “No. I think I’m fine with wedding rings, we don’t have to behave like animals. Hell, I’ll get a tattoo with you if you want.”

“What would you suggest?” Castiel looks content and sleepy now.

“My name on your ass obviously,” he teases and rolls back over so he’s the little spoon again.

“Consider it done,” Castiel deadpans and for a second Dean worries he’s serious until he feels a pinch to his side and his lover huffing a laugh against his shoulder. They fall asleep like that, though Dean wakes up a few hours later to turn the TV off. He shuffles back down against Castiel and falls asleep easily. 

This time they don’t wake up so peacefully. Dean’s alarm on his phone sounds and he jolts up, remembering now that they have to get him to work. He punches his pillow and rolls over on his stomach, not wanting to get up. Behind him, Castiel laughs and shimmies out of the bed, telling him he’s got to go earn the bacon again. 

They get dressed and head into the dinning room to eat breakfast. It’s delicious, homemade faire, served to them by the owners of the bed and breakfast. They’re at a large communal table and with the questions being fired at him he feels like he’s working before he has to work. After the owners get a picture of him on the front porch they pack up the car and hit the road, Castiel speeding a long to get back into the city in time for Dean’s event.

Dean tries to get Castiel to stay but he has too much to do, not having a place to live and reminding Dean that this is his job. They’re courting now and he doesn’t need to be there to spend time with him. He promises to be there the next weekend and leaves once Matsushita is there to escort him into the building. Dean looks over his shoulder as he walks in, smiling sadly at Castiel who is waving goodbye.

Just as he’s about to enter a horn honks and he hears his name being called. Dean stops short, turning to see Castiel running towards him, holding something behind his back. “Nearly forgot,” he says with a big smile and pulls from behind his back a katana. Castiel offers it with a slight bow, holding it up, balanced on his forefingers.

Dean takes it with both hands, mouth opened slightly in awe. The lacquer saya is decorated in pinecones, the handle a deep green instead of the traditional black. There is a jade pinecone and gold omamori hanging from the hand guard. Both glisten in the sunlight. He smiles and looks up at Castiel’s face. “It’s wonderful, thank you.”

“I can’t wait to see you use it,” Castiel says with another shallow bow before backing off. He takes a few steps backwards then turns to job back to his car. This time Dean watches until the car disappears.

He lets himself be escorted inside and his things taken from him, including the sword to be put in a backroom while he works. Everything seems boring and bland to him now, but he’s working and he reminds himself that this is what he wanted. They’re supposed to dance but Dean isn’t sure that he wants to use the new sword without Castiel to see him there first. He thinks about it as he walks away from the dining hall to the room where their things are stored. The light is off so he carefully moves, hand patting at the wall as he hears the door click behind him. He finally feels the dimmer switch and fumbles with it, realizing he has to press it down and turn it after a failed attempts. 

Dean sighs with relief as the lights come on but jumps when he sees that he isn’t alone in the room. He can’t breathe and he’s shaking, trying to muster his voice to yell for help but he’s pressed against the wall, a hand over his mouth as lips graze the shell of his ear, singsong voice barely audible.

“Dean, my boy.”


	32. Chapter 32

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay. I am so sorry for making you wait but I hit block due to having to move suddenly and all the stresses, mostly financial, of that. I still don't have internet and don't know when that will be. Once again I apologize and hope that I can get the next few chapters, which will mostly be tying up loose ends. It's coming to a close, thanks for being with me along the way.

Alistair has the front of his kimono gripped in one hand pushing him backwards against the wall. Dean grunts and swings hard with his right arm connecting with his attacker's face. This only gets him a slow, angry smile though there is blood on the alpha's teeth. 

And a gun pressed to Dean’s temple.

Dean swallows but tries not to let fear show through. If he’s not back with the katanas for the performance someone will come looking for him. 

"Oh, how I do like it when they fight," Alistair singsongs and pushes the hood off of Dean's head. Clammy fingers trail over his cheekbone then over his lips, pressing in slightly at first then more forcefully, pressing onto Dean’s tongue. Alistair tastes of sweat and something peppery. "There. So pretty,” Alistair pauses as his smile grows wider, his fingers pressing further into Dean’s mouth, “but not for long."

Dean tries to side step and spit the fingers out of his mouth but Alistair's foot catches his ankle to press him harder up against the wall. His arm is wrested behind his back so that he spins, twisted so painfully that he's sure it will come out of socket. “You’re going to do as I say or I’m going to shoot you in that pretty little face.”

“You are in such deep shit,” Dean laughs out because if Castiel killed a teenager over his rape just what did Alistair think was going to do to a man that came back to threaten and kill him?

Alistair must know exactly what Dean is talking about because he presses the muzzle of the gun harder into his temple. “Who is he?” He pulls Dean off the wall and starts frog marching him towards a rear door. Dean looks sadly at the katana as he passes the okiya’s pile of things. If only he had gotten to it first.

“What are you talking about?” It’s hard to walk like Alistair wants him too, confined by the kimono and the hand behind his back. 

“Don’t play your party trick mind games with me. You were having dinner with him.” Alistair pushes his nose into Dean’s exposed neck and inhales deeply. “You’ve scrubbed well, hiding his scent? I hope you’re already carrying his child so I can carve it out of you and throw it in his face.”

The hood is pushed roughly back onto his head. “Walk normally, if you make a noise or call for help I’ll shoot you, then I’ll go to that brothel you call a school and I’ll shoot them too. But only after I’ve had some fun with the youngest ones.”

Dean obeys, side eying the katana leaning up against the wall as he goes. If only he thought he could dive for it before Alistair could pull the trigger. There is no way he can make it though. Then he remembers his kwaiken and the phone tucked into his obi. He clutches his hands to his chest and wrings his hands like he’s worrying, head ducked. One finger slips into the obi and quickly flicks the side button to silence the phone.

“Head up, look normal,” Alistair whispers stepping close behind him. Dean can feel the muzzle of the gun pressed into his side. He swallows and tries to look as normal as possible when he knows that the chance is slim that he’ll survive this. Alistair was going to beat and rape him until he feels like he’s had revenge then shoot him. If he’s lucky. The sadistic bastard won’t let him off that easy.

He tries to make eye contact with a waiter organizing hors d'oeuvres on a tray. The guy avoids looking at him because the staff knows they’re not supposed to be looking at the entertainment. Other people’s property in reality.

Dean is directed into a service elevator, as the doors close he’s pushed into the wall, his face bouncing off the paneling. He grunts as he pushes off, reaching a hand up to check his nose and mouth for blood. It comes away clean but Alistair is leering at him. “What is he? Mercenary? FBI?”

“I don’t know, he changes his name like I change my underwear. He gives me a thousand bucks, I fuck him,” Dean lies cockily, thinking that if Alistair thinks Castiel has no emotional attachment that he won’t come for him. He inhales and tries to look sure of himself.

Alistair must buy it because he just shakes his head and mashes one the garage floor buttons with his fist. “He’ll come for you.”

Or maybe not. Dean forces a laugh. “I’m a whore. Why would he come for a whore?”

“For the same reason he killed everyone at the party.” Alistair laughs, teeth flashing. 

Dean glares. That’s what Alistair called gang rape, a party. The elevator door chimes and he’s grabbed roughly by the arm and hauled out. This was a trap for Castiel so he might live long enough to escape. He doesn’t want to Castiel to sacrifice himself of course, he’s just not worth it.

He struggles to be moved at this pace, geta clacking loudly against the cement floor of the parking garage. Alistair hisses at him to be quiet, Dean looks at him incredulously. “They’re not exactly intended for kidnappings,” he mumbles under his breath then hisses when Alistair thumps him upside the back of his head with the butt of the gun.

Dean glares at the Cadillac he’s being pushed towards. Great, looks like he’s going to get shoved in a trunk. He sighs when Alistair fishes his keys out of his pocket and lights flash but the trunk doesn’t open. His kidnapper gets the door for him and shoves him into the seat, causing his head to bounce off the side. Dean falls into the seat, holding his head with one hand. 

He sucks in a breath when Alistair leans over to pull the seatbelt around him and make sure the hood is covering his face. Alistair’s arm is brushing over the obi where the knife and the phone are hidden. It goes unnoticed though and Dean is left to try to recover his breath and his nerves as the door shuts and Alistair heads to the driver’s side.

“Don’t look at anyone,” he says gruffly and waves the gun at him for emphasis. Dean looks obediently at his lap. The phone is vibrating inside the obi, making him sigh with relief. If they’re calling and looking for him already then maybe the police will get involved before Cas and he’ll never fall in whatever trap Alistair has planned.

“You’ll be awake this time for it,” Alistair says casually as he pulls out of the parking lot. “And when I kill him.” Alistair pauses, looking over at Dean but he keeps his eyes on his lap, only tracking his attacker’s movements from the corner of his eye. “I’m going to peel his flesh off and you’re going to watch, maybe even do it yourself.”

“You can just shoot me now,” Dean mutters. He would never harm Castiel.

“Feelings for the man that’s bought and paid for your body?” Alistair laughs. “So the exchanging money story was just that, a story.”

“Fuck you,” Dean spits because he’s not creative and he doesn’t know what else to say. His eyes cant towards the window, trying to see what landmarks they are passing. This means he completely misses the back of the pistol coming at him. It hits the side of his head so hard he hears it in the other ear too. Dean feels blood running down his temple and he can barely see out of his left eye as he looks over at Alistair.

If he attacks he can maybe cause Alistair to wreck the car but he’d probably get shot and injured from the wreck in the process. What would Cas do? Probably just yank the gun out of Alistair’s hands and beat him with it. Dean inhales slowly. He’s fast, kendo has made him fast but he’s never yanked a weapon out of someone’s hands. Wait yes he has. Anything is a weapon if you try hard enough. He almost laughs at the thought.

This gets Dean a serious look from Alistair, who nudges him with the gun. “Hey, look at me, what’s so funny.”

Dean laughs this time, honest and loud. “Alphas are so delicate!” He shakes his head. “I turned you down, I teased Zachariah in the same fucking way alphas tease each other but because I’m an omega you retaliated. I didn’t act like property so you felt the need to put me in my place.”

He braces to get hit again but it doesn’t come. Alistair is just shaking his head. Of course he wouldn’t agree but Dean can tell from the way he’s fuming that he’s right. 

The car pulls into the driveway of a beaten down and abandoned house. “Nice digs,” Dean says dryly. That does get him another crack against the head. He rubs it through the kimono’s hood until Alistair forces him from the car by his arm. 

“Get inside.” Alistair pushes him so hard he nearly comes out of the geta and falls when he stumbles. Dean makes it up the decaying steps and through the door his kidnapper opens.

The house is musky and dirty. There’s a couch with some blankets thrown over it, a rack with suits hanging from it that Alistair must have brought in. He can see into the kitchen. It’s moldy and there are bags of trash everywhere. 

“Get undressed,” Alistair orders and pulls the hood off of Dean’s head.

“No,” he says and turns around to face his rapist, backing up across the floor. Alistair needs bait and he’s it. No sense in letting him get his jollies off while they wait for Cas. Dean gives him a hard look, noticing that he pockets the keys to that car in the suit jacket that he takes off and hangs up on the rack. Makes sense to keep the clothes while on the run. Alistair couldn’t look like a bum if he was trying to sneak in places to capture him.

“I said get undressed bitch.” Alistair steps forward and pushes the gun into Dean’s face. He backs up a step knowing he can’t get undressed or the phone and kwaiken will be exposed. A fist connects with Dean’s cheek and he stumbles, unsteady on the geta, then falls when his legs hit the rickety coffee table. It falls apart under his weight.

Alistair is on him as soon as he falls pushing Dean’s face into the dirty floor with one hand. The hand with the gun is pushing the kimono up until its flipped over the elaborate tie of the obi, exposing him. Dean struggles but the hand on his neck tightens and he can feel the muzzle of the pistol poking at his back then trace along his thigh as his underwear is removed.

He can hear a belt and zipper being undone and then the gun is pressed against his head, the hand at his neck falling to his ass, pushing in between his cheeks. "So wet and eager for it," his attacker murmurs gleefully. 

Dean tries to crawl away but his arm is yanked hard and there is a sickening crunch that he thinks might be his shoulder dislocating. The pain is blinding, so much so that he barely registers the fingers breaching his hole. 

"No," he screams. His useless arm is released and his hair is grabbed to pull his head up and then smash it into the floor. He sees stars and whimpers, begging silently for someone to come. 

The fingers in him leave and he can hear Alistair inhale deeply. "Love that smell," he croons. 

Dean's face sets. This cannot happen to him. Not because he truly believes that he has to be pure, but because no one takes from him something they don’t deserve. Zachariah taking his virginity was bad enough, that should have been for Castiel. He hears the brushing of fabric and realizes that Alistair is still getting his own clothes out of the way and has taken the gun away from his head in order to do so. His good hand goes under him and he pushes with all his might, his hips knocking into his attackers stomach and knocking him sideways. Dean scrambles up, grabbing the clothing rack that threatens to roll away to steady himself.

He stumbles but gets his bearings, the coatrack tumbling and the top rod rolling free. His heart jumps. That was exactly what he needed. The taikomochi scrambles off of it as his ankle is grabbed. He yells as loud as he can and his fingers close around the base of the rod. Twisting his body, Dean swings the rod as hard as he can, feeling relief swell inside of him as the pole comes in contact with Alistair’s face and his ankle is let free. He crawls away and quickly gets up to standing, holding the rod like he would his katana.

“Get away from me,” he growls. His eyes scan for the gun. It’s still in Alistair’s hand but the man is preoccupied with getting up.

“I’m going to carve you into a new animal,” comes the singsong voice as he presses up to standing. Alistair’s temple is bleeding and the spaces between his teeth are filled with blood. The gun is raised towards Dean then jerked over at the couch. “But first I’m going to remind you what you’re good for.”

Dean stills, feeling a hollow feeling in his gut. Alistair might just get sick of him fighting and shoot him. Castiel would still seek his revenge and fall into his trap.

“That’s it,” Alistair says and takes a step forward. “I won’t even knot you. I don’t want to be tied to you, you’re filth, trash, probably not even pure when you were brought into that stupid school.”

He sighs and looks at the floor then drops the rod. Slowly he moves to the couch and gets on it, cradling his hurt arm to his chest and holding himself up with the other. He can do this, he can let himself be fucked until Castiel gets there or he can figure out a way to stab him with the kwaiken. Castiel’s words repeat in his head, ‘I’d rather you cut their’s instead’.

“No,” Alistair says, “just sit down. You’re going to suck me off first.”

Dean flops over to sit on the couch, glaring up. 

“If I feel so much as the scrape of teeth I’ll knock every one of them out of your head and then we’ll start again.”

The head of Alistair’s cock is right in front of his face and Dean wants to bite it off despite surely taking a bullet to the brain for it. 

“Lick your lips.” Alistair has blood leaking out of the corner of his mouth. Dean obeys, eyes still hard. All he has to do is wait for him to drop his guard again. That’s what he thinks about when the flaccid penis is pushed into his mouth and the back of his hair is gripped.

Taikomochi are taught very basic biology. Of course most of it revolves around their own bodies, the optimal time to get pregnant, childbirth, and caring for children. There is some first aid in there too, because rich alphas don’t want an omega that passes out at the sight of blood if their well-bred children fall and scrape their knees. So Dean has seen a map of the body, it’s muscles and circulatory system and he knows that there is a damn big artery right in front of him.

But Dean also knows that the kwaiken was meant to cut through a neck and not a thigh and he’s not sure if he can get to the thigh artery with it.

“Suck, bitch.”

Dean grimaces and does as he’s told, hands clenching at his own thighs. He raises them slightly, deciding that maybe he should go for it but then gags as Alistair thrusts into his mouth. Choking and sputtering he tries to pull off but his face is just forced back down. He’s going to vomit onto Alistair and who knows just what sort of punishment that’s going to incur.

“Some whore you are,” Alistair says and pulls out of Dean’s mouth then pushes him away. Dean wipes off his mouth with the back of his hand, gasping for breath. 

“Turn over.” 

Dean looks up and realizes that he doesn’t see the gun. He feints like he is going to get on the couch again but pauses and looks up, hand reaching into the obi. Alistair doesn’t think anything of it, just strokes over his cock and grunts for Dean to hurry up. Dean pulls the kwaiken out of the obi and slashes across Alistairs thighs.

A scream fills the filthy room as Alistair backs up, blind with rage and then the gun fires. There is a searing pain in Dean’s already dislocated arm but he lunges, slashing with knife but not coming contact with anything. The gun fires again but Dean doesn’t register any more pain than he’s already feeling so he goes after Alistair again, who is now leaning against the wall, suit pants slashed and leaking blood. Dean doesn’t know if he managed to hit anything vital but Alistair is slumping. 

“Drop it and I’ll kill you before he gets here,” Dean says, flinching as the gun is shakily lifted towards him. Outside he hears a car door slam. The gun is shaking so bad that Alistair has to lift his other hand to try to hold it steady. Dean holds the knife up. The gun is starting to lower. He lunges, trying to knock the gun out of Alistair’s hand with his body as his hand embeds the kwaiken deep into the monster’s neck, tugging hard towards him once he’s felt his fist connect with flesh.

There is a crash then the room floods with light. Castiel is standing in the doorway with a gun up.

“My guardian angel,” Dean mumbles darkly as he’s scooped up as much as he can be given his height and that he is becoming dead weight. 

“Looks like you handled yourself just fine,” Castiel says and kisses Dean’s temple as he moves Dean towards the door. 

“Arm ‘s out of socket, maybe shot too, dunno.” Dean tries to walk as much as possible but he’s feeling faint from the pain and blood loss. He settles into the bottom step of the stairs and lets himself be examined. 

“Is that all he did?” Castiel doesn’t make eye contact as he pulls the kimono free of the obi so he can expose Dean’s shoulder and arm. The shoulder looks limp but Dean’s happy to see he was only grazed by the bullet.

“Yup,” Dean lies. Castiel looks at him hard but doesn’t press it.

“I’m going to go destroy the evidence and then I’m going to take you to the hospital.” Castiel cups the side of Dean’s face, expression softening. He kisses Dean then gets up to go to the kitchen, pulling on black leather gloves as he goes. Dean watches from around the banister of the stairs as he lugs Alistair over to the couch and dumps him on it.

There, Castiel produces a lighter and a pack of cigarettes from his pocket. He puts one in his mouth and lights it, inhaling deeply.

“Those things will kill you,” Dean teases, voice weak.

“Useful though,” Castiel says. He cracks the cheap lighter in half and lets the fluid leak onto the armrest then takes another drag before placing the lit cigarette’s filter on the wet spot.

“They teach you that in spy school?” Dean doesn’t get an answer because he’s being scooped up again and guided down to Cas’ car. He’s getting woozy and it’s hard to maintain consciousness. As soon as Castiel is pulling away from the dilapidated house his eyelids are too heavy to keep open and he drifts off.


	33. Chapter 33

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well here's the thing. To me it felt finished when Castiel killed off the last rapist and Dean was safe though I was leaving Brady alive just in case I got a while hair up my butt and decided to bring this story line back. This is most likely the last chapter but I do have a few time stamps I had written and will likely do an epilogue. I'm sorry that this took so long, I'm kind of fed up with the queerbaiting in SPN and I'm torn between thinking Dean and Cas deserve so much better and who am I to thinking I'm better to do the writing. So anyway if you have anything you'd like to see a time stamp on, leave it in comments. I love you all dearly.

He wakes up in a hospital bed feeling fuzzy. His vision is fuzzy too but he makes out Castiel in the chair next to him, flipping through a magazine. Dean smiles at his friend. “Is this morphine?” His speech is slurred and he feels no pain so he guesses yes.

Castiel raises an eyebrow then smiles in return. “The good stuff,” he jokes and puts the magazine down then reaches over to grab the control for the bed. “Want to sit up?”

Dean nods then feels the bed starts ascending. “I think it’s giving me the munchies.”

“Feel well enough to eat?” Castiel slips his hand into Dean’s and gives it a gentle squeeze. Now, Dean notices that his left arm is immobilized in a sling.

“He could have shot me in the stomach and I’d still want to eat,” Dean says lazily. In retrospect it might not be smart to talk about this where they can be overheard. No telling what kind of bullshit Castiel made up on how he got injured “How long have I been out?”

Castiel checks his watch. “Just under twenty-four hours. You were in surgery for a while, when your arm was ripped out of socket it damaged some tendons and the rotator cuff. Your PT is going to be fun.”

He can live with that. “Is everything, uh… okay?” Dean trails off, not wanting to admit anything out loud.

“We’re fine.” Castiel reaches down to the side of his chair, out of Dean’s view then comes up with a newspaper page. He holds it so Dean can read it without taking it. A small house fire was extinguished last night. Fire investigators suspect a squatter got drunk and accidentally set it on fire. He smiles up at Castiel.

“Thank you,” he says weakly, his voice at a whisper. “So what’s my cover story? I’m excited, I feel like I’m in your secret club. When do I get my decoder ring?”

“You’re welcome,” Castiel responds, smiling back fondly. “No one asked me so I didn’t come up with one but I assume someone will approach you and ask you if it was me.”

Dean feels terrible. Of course the staff would just assume that Dean, an omega, had upset Castiel, an alpha and he had doled out this sort of punishment. This was typical. “Well let’s come up with something good. Can’t be too dramatic though or they’ll know it was bullshit. Don’t guess too many abusive, douchebag alphas sit vigil over their property though.”

“I suppose you’re right.” Castiel says, mood lightening. He presses his lips into a line. “Skiing is right out.”

“Skydiving?” Dean asks, sounding hopeful.

“Maybe, your arm could have gotten caught in the rigging,” Castiel agrees eagerly.

“Yeah but since when do a guy in a suit and a taikomochi go skydiving?” Dean sounds irritated that he’s shooting his own idea down.

“Maybe horseback riding?” Castiel deflates. “No we’re back to the same issue with skydiving.”

“Bear attack! No, that might get a bunch of people shooting bears.” Dean is starting to find this funny and he wants to get that brilliant light back in Castiel’s eyes.

“You saved a bear from a people attack.” Castiel is nodding sagely and clearly trying to keep a straight face.

“That’s it.” Dean juts the finger of his free hand in Castiel’s direction. “A bear, trying to go to a taiko performance downtown was attacked by bear haters. It’s sad really.”

Castiel’s body is shaking with what Dean thinks is laughter and he’s got tears coming out of his eyes. He leans forward and kisses Dean firmly. When he pulls away there are tears on his cheekbones but he’s not saying anything, just smiling. Dean smiles back but he’s fading with exhaustion and the warmness of the morphine.

The next time he wakes up there is movement at his door. It makes him a little nervous since he can’t see Castiel in the chair but he soon realizes that Castiel is the one at the door, talking to someone through it. Dean stays still, thinking this might be important but it’s just Castiel getting food delivered. 

He sits up in bed and flashes Castiel a big smile. “What did you get me?”

“Miso, gyoza, comfort food.” Castiel moves the tray over Dean’s bed and starts taking the containers out of the bag to place onto it. “They’re releasing you into my care when your brother gets here and signs some forms.”

Castiel looks so apologetic about it that Dean almost feels guilty. What the hell? He’s the one that’s chattel not Castiel.

“It’s okay, and thanks.” Dean picks up paper wrapped chopsticks to open but finds it difficult to do with his left arm immobilized. Castiel takes them and opens them for him then hands them back.

“If you want he can make me a legal guardian. It might be easier since we spend so much time together.” Castiel looks like he’s concentrating on staying formal, which is frankly, adorable to Dean.

“That’s got to be the most unromantic marriage proposal I’ve ever heard,” Dean teases back and gestures at a box with the chopsticks so Castiel will open it for him. Castiel complies with huffed laughter.

“Would have been great if I had a ring in there with the gyoza,” he says with another laugh.

“Yeah,” Dean says disappointedly. “But we’re probably pretty emotional right now, probably shouldn’t rush into things.” He hates being responsible, he doesn’t want to be responsible. Right now he wants it all. He wants to be able to be married to Castiel and maybe have a couple of kids. But he also wants to teach and completely restructure the way omegas are taught. At least at his okiya.

Castiel looks away, nodding. Dean feels like shit. He deflates with a sigh, slumping into the bed. “I just mean I don’t want to be a stereotype. I don’t want to get married this young, I do, I just…” He’s doing a shitty job at salvaging this.

“You feel that if I ask you to marry me now it will be like some sort of payment.” Castiel looks at Dean, eyes kind. Dean nods. “We were already talking about it at dinner. I was going to wait on the realtor getting back to me about buying the lots around the okiya before I asked anyway.”

“You’re buying the land around the okiya?”

“Trying to buy the land around the okiya,” Castiel clarifies and sits on the edge of the hospital bed. “Okiya is partially in my name so it shouldn’t be an issue, but the land is currently owned by the state of California. They tend to move slowly.”

That Castiel is a partner in the school should shock Dean but he just shakes his head and fumbles trying to pick up a gyoza. He’s still a little high from the morphine. Castiel take the chopsticks from him and offers him the piece. Dean tries to look irritated but a small smile is winning. He bites it and chews.

“So you think I wouldn’t marry you if I had to commute to work?” Dean folds his good arm over the one in the sling.

“I would think that it would mean we would need to have a discussion about it…

“Shut up and ask me to marry you.” He’s a stereotype and an idiot but he’s also very much in love.

“Dean will you marry me?” Castiel looks embarrassed.

Dean pretends to mull it over, pursing his lips and looking away. “Yeah, I can do that.”

Instead of giving Castiel legal rights but not custody Sam signs over Dean’s papers that day. Sam hugs both Castiel and Dean and wishes them the best. Jess looks like she could burst at the prospect of getting to help plan a wedding. Dean tells everyone that this is going to be a very long engagement and that he’s mad he doesn’t even have a ring yet.

Everyone rolls their eyes at him but it’s amicable. Castiel asks to talk to Sam in the hallway, leaving Dean at Jess’ mercy. She apparently has other things to talk about besides wedding because as soon as the door is shut she’s leaning in.

“Sam told me what happened to you as soon as he knew. As soon as he said something about you being attacked and Cas being there he said Brady packed up all his stuff and left.” Her eyes dart to the door and then go back to Dean. “Did he attack you?”

Dean shakes his head and looks confused. “No, it was Alistair but it’s taken care of…” Son of a bitch. “Brady was telling him where I was performing.”

“Isn’t it public knowledge?” 

“No.” Dean shakes his head again. “Festivals sure, but parties and private functions, you have to be invited. They don’t tell outsiders about them because there is no reason to.”

“Is Castiel going to…” She makes a slicing motion across her throat with her finger.

“What?” Dean squints at her. “No.” He sighs and chews on his lower lip. “I don’t know. I can ask him not to.” He doesn’t sound very convinced and with good reason.

The door swings open and they both straighten. It makes them look so guilty that Castiel actually laughs. Dean ducks his head and hits the button to his morphine pump. They make small talk for a while. It’s obvious that Sam is uncomfortable. He’s trying hard to hide it but Dean has spent the last year learning how to read people. Dean is dying to ask him what happened out in that hall but he’ll have to wait and call him later. If Castiel doesn’t offer the information first.

After what seems like an eternity of small talk, Sam and Jess excuse themselves. It’s a long drive back to Stanford but as the door shuts, Castiel assures Dean he got them a hotel room. Dean and Castiel will be headed to the okiya as soon as the hospital discharges him, which should be soon since they have the paperwork now.

“Are you going to kill Brady?” Dean spits the question out as Castiel is lowering himself into his chair and pulling out an iPad from a bag unseen. The alpha sighs and pinches his nose, looking pained.

“Dean…”

“You can’t kill everyone that messes with me, Cas,” he says in his most know-it-all voice. “There’s not going to be anyone left.”

“This isn’t the place for this conversations,” Castiel says in a clipped tone. Dean opens his mouth again but at the hand raised in his direction, he shuts up and drops back into the bed with a sigh. They sit in silence until the nurse comes in and starts disconnecting Dean from the IVs and monitors so he can go home. 

Castiel helps Dean get dressed in a simple kimono with a wide hood. Dean’s never seen it before so he wonders if Castiel went to buy it while he was in surgery or sleeping. It is so different then the elaborate embroidery that he’s used to and he realizes that this is what married omegas wear. Well technically he belongs to Castiel now. He wonders if Matsushita will have him dress this way now as well.

“You’re uncharacteristically quiet,” Castiel says after they’ve been in the car for twenty minutes, headed towards the okiya. Dean just shrugs. He could blame it on the pain pills but really that’s not his problem. The kimono is but he doesn’t want to complain about it.

“Where did you get the kimono?” He finally speaks up about it after a few more moments of quiet, needing to know why Castiel had picked it out.

“Some boutique with a terrible name,” Castiel responds. Dean looks at him and sees he is half smiling, half grimacing. “You’re incredibly hard to shop for and no one quite believed me when I said you were just over six foot tall.” Now he laughs and looks over at Dean but his face falls when he sees the mournful expression.

“Oh!” Dean watches as Castiel’s hands squeeze the steering wheel so hard that his knuckles go white. “Dean you know that taikomochi kimono are ridiculously hard to come by! When I say this was the only one long enough for you I mean that without hyperbole.” Castiel looks like he’s panicking. Dean reaches out and touches his shoulder, obviously relieved. 

“Stop, you’re fine.” He smiles warmly from under the hood. “I’m just not ready to be a house omega.” He pauses and chews on his lip. “I will never be a house omega,” Dean clarifies with a stern voice. 

The rest of the ride is far less tense. They joke, they have a long serious discussion about Castiel’s retirement. It’s apparent that Castiel enjoys his job but he wants a family and doesn’t want to be an absentee alpha with children as accessories and trophies of wealth. The conversation reminds Dean of the stark reality that he is going to bear children and no matter how well he teaches or practices music and kendo he’s going to be looked at as an omega that is here to do his sole purpose.

Castiel walks Dean in to the okiya, saying that he needs to speak to Matsushita about some things. Dean is sure that all of the things involve him and his new ownership but he just shrugs it off and heads in after giving Castiel a long kiss goodbye. Immediately, he is greeted by the younger boys, throwing their arms around him and asking what happened to his arm. It’s not an atypical response to one of the older taikomochi returning home and he can tell that his arm in the sling is a surprise to them, so Dean doesn’t have any reason to think that Matsushita told them anything.

He straightens their hoods and lets them help him back to his room where Kevin is standing with his arms crossed. Dean just shakes his head so Kevin knows to keep the question to when they don’t have a young audience. The children are so intent on visiting with him and he doesn’t want to kick them out so soon so it’s nearly an hour before Dean is able to get into bed. He takes a few pain pills with some water and settles in.

Dean tells Kevin and Ben everything. They new something was amiss when Dean didn’t show up to the performance but Matsushita insisted that they keep the other students calm. When he has explained everything he looks at his friends, waiting for them to say something but Kevin is blinking back tears and looking like he’s responsible. Dean immediately understands why. Brady had shown an interest in Kevin and it had probably all been just to get more information from him.

Kevin apologizes profusely, saying that Brady had never asked about his schedule, only the okiya and made it sound like he was making small talk. Dean can’t bring himself to be mad. Brady had gotten one over on Sam as well. They agree to be more aware of what might be information gathering then they get ready for bed, letting Dean get some sleep since he’s been without his own bed for so long.

The next few days are hard on Dean. He’s jumpy, afraid that the cops are going to figure out what happened and arrest both him and Castiel. On the way to one of Dean’s physical therapy sessions Matsushita informs Dean that he will need to come up with his own lesson plans for omega history and basic music theory. He begins to spend an hour and a half every evening planning out how to teach his students.

Castiel comes and goes, Dean’s shoulder heals, the okiya’s bookings remain steady. Andy is driven to the okiya on occasion to help with the dance lessons, his stomach becoming round with the pregnancy. It gives Dean hope that he can do both as well when Castiel is finished with his work.

What Dean realizes is that Castiel says he’ll finish but what if he can’t? What if they keep putting moving in together and children off and one day Dean is hitting menopause and Castiel is struggling to get through the day at work. That’s a bit of an exaggeration but if Andy can start showing up to help out when needed then Dean can have it all too.

It’s a few days before the autumn equinox when Castiel and he are sparring kendo in the garden. Castiel does distracting things, like stripping to his hakama when Dean has no choice but to stay clothed. Not that Castiel needs to pull pranks to win. He’s been practicing kendo for a lot longer than Dean.

“Let’s have a ceremony,” Dean says with a grimace as he lunges and swipes the wooden katana upwards. Castiel falters on his parry and holds up his hand for a time out.

“Now?” He looks concerned and confused. Dean likes that he can have that affect on him. 

“Yes, now, sweaty and undressed with dirty feet,” he teases and leans against his practice sword, breathing a little heavy.

“You’re joking,” Castiel guesses.

“Of course I am,” he confirms with a nod. “How about New Years? Right before midnight? We’ll always have off the day after our anniversary!” Dean has a big grin on his face, able to tell that Castiel is not going to tell him no. Maybe not ever.

Castiel shakes his head, trying not to smile but losing that battle. “Tell me what to do.”


End file.
